Porterville College designated hitter Jared Hewes and second baseman Matt Langston had two hits each to account for four of the Pirates' five in the game in a 6-2 Central Valley Conference loss at Taft College on Thursday.

Porterville fell behind early as Taft jumped out to a quick lead with two runs in the bottom of the first off starting pitcher Matt Cox.

The Pirates' bats were held in check all the way until the top of the seventh. Hewes led off the frame with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and came in to score on a one-out double by Langston.

Taft got the run right back, scoring in the bottom of the seventh to go back up 3-1. In the eighth, PC was able to take advantage of a pair of walks and an error that allowed Nicolas Portillo to score its final run.

But Taft put the game out of reach for good after rallying for three runs in the bottom of the eighth. The Pirates were retired in order in the ninth to close the ball game.

Cox took the loss despite turning in a good outing. He allowed two runs and four hits over five innings. Ricky Reyes closed it out, tossing the final three innings while allowing two runs and four hits. The duo combined for eight strikeouts.

The Pirates (6-20, 5-12 CVC) and Taft wrap up their three-game conference series on Saturday (April 21) at 1 p.m. back in Porterville. PC will look to take the set after winning the opener 6-5 on Tuesday.