What Can Brown Do For Pasadena City College Baseball? Another Complete Game Win

In the first 63 games of his tenure as head coach for the Pasadena City College baseball team, Pat McGee never let a pitcher go the distance until Tuesday when Isaac Holguin accomplished all nine innings in a 10-2 Lancers win. On Thursday, Chris Brown made it back-to-back complete game efforts as he scattered 10 hits in PCC’s 8-2 win at El Camino College-Compton Center.

The Lancers (now 10-19, 4-10 in sixth place in the South Cosat Conference) have a chance to sweep the Tartars (3-26, 2-12) on Saturday when they host Compton in a 12 noon first pitch at Brookside Park’s Jackie Robinson Memorial Field (note–today, April 15, is Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball. Robinson played for Pasadena Junior College in 1937-38 on his way to becoming the iconic MLB Hall of Famer).

Brown and Holguin became the first PCC pitching duo to throw complete games in consecutive games since Jeremy Harrison and Zack Kalter performed the feat on May 6-7 to end the 2004 season. Ironically both games were also against Compton, although one was a defeat. It is unknown the last time the Lancers had back-to-back CG victories prior to 2000.

The freshman Brown (4-3 record, Temple City High) allowed one earned run, did not walk a batter, and had 1-2-3 innings in the sixth and seventh. He dropped his overall ERA to 3.18.

Red-hot designated hitter Joe Quire belted a 3-run homer as PCC jumped ahead 4-1 in the third inning. Rightfielder Anthony Rabito, also on a 8-for-14 hitting tear in the last three games, knocked in two more runs in the fourth with a single for a commanding 6-1 lead.

First baseman Jeremy Conant batted 3-for-5 with two doubles, one hitting the top of the fence and just missing for would have been his fourth home run. Catcher Justin Cage added two hits (one a double), giving him five now in the series. Second baseman Paul Christian hit his third triple of the season. Centerfielder Brandon Benson, who is 6-for-his-last 12, went 2-for-4.

PCC won two straight games for the first time since the start of the season when the Lancers opened with three in a row. Pasadena reached double digits in victories for the first time in consecutive seasons since 2006-2007.