Pasadena City College Lancers Baseball Sweeps 3-Game Set Against El Camino-Compton Center

It came down to the final out, but the Pasadena City College baseball team closed out the program’s first South Coast Conference 3-game series sweep over an opponent in eight years Saturday. PCC held on to defeat El Camino-Compton Center, 5-4, for its third win of the week v. the Tartars in the contest played at Brookside Park’s Jackie Robinson Memorial Field.

The Lancers upped their overall record to 11-19 and SCC mark to 5-10 (currently sixth place of eight teams). It’s the first time that PCC has won as many as 11 games since the 2007 season. The last time Pasadena swept a conference opponent was against Los Angeles City (now defunct program) in 2008.

Jose Martinez picked up the save in working his way out of a 9th-inning rally by Compton. The Tartars cut the lead to one and put the tying run 180 feet away on a double by Adrian Poot. But with two outs, Martinez got Luis Estrada to fly out to centerfielder Brandon Benson to close out the victory. Martinez pitched 2.1 innings but also wiggled his way out of two earlier bases-loaded jams.

In the seventh, he was brought in with a 5-3 lead and the bases packed and retired Arron Kirchner on a popup to third baseman Sean Fassler. In the eighth, PCC head coach Pat McGee used old-fashioned strategy to help Martinez. Compton placed runners on second and third with one out, and then sent up pinch hitter Jorge Rivas. McGee elected to intentionally walk Rivas, Compton’s best hitter with a .391 batting average, to load the bases.

Martinez then induced pinch hitter Stephen Ho to hit an infield popup for the second before striking out leadoff hitter Trinidad Romero to end the threat and keep the lead at 5-3.

Jared Tietgen picked up his first collegiate victory, throwing five innings (five hits, two earned runs). Reliever Orlando Marin also pitched well as he entered with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth and PCC leading 3-1. Marin got Poot to hit into a 4-6-3 double play, scoring one run. Estrada then lined out to leftfielder Rudy Canal, keeping the Lancers lead at 3-2.

Offensively, the Lancers took a 1-0 first-inning lead on a bomb RBI triple by rightfielder Anthony Rabito to left center. The red-hot Benson (8-for-his-last 17) tripled in the second inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Alex Briggs that made it 2-0.

In the sixth, Briggs hit a RBI single and then teamed up with Benson as the pair perfectly executed a double steal. With Briggs on first and Benson on third, Briggs took off to second and when the catcher attempted to gun out Briggs, Benson stole home. The play resulted in giving PCC it’s game-winning run.

Designated hitter Jeremy Conant singled in the third for his team-leading 50th hit of the season. He is the first Lancer since first baseman Lee Pope in 2008 to reach the 50-hit plateau.

“We put all three things together for once–pitching, hitting and defense–and that’s how we were able to win three in a row,” McGee said. “I can’t say enough about our infield defense with Briggs playing spectacular at short and Quire one of the conference’s best defensive first basemen. Justin Cage is also a stalwart behind the plate.

“Our pitchers came through all series. We got two big complete games out of Isaac Holguin and Chris Brown, and then a good start out of Tietgen. The bullpen had been sitting for a while, but Martinez and Marin clutched up. The fact that our pitching staff doesn’t strike out many hitters has forced our defense to be steady. Defense ultimately makes the difference. We have to keep this momentum going and try to finish the season strong.”

PCC made just two errors in the three wins v. Compton. The Lancers next play a 3-game series against Mt. San Antonio College, beginning with a 2:30 p.m. road game on Tuesday, April 19.