Harrison's Small Ball, Pitching Lifts Baseball to 9th Consecutive Win

At 5-feet-5 and 150 pounds, leftfielder Aryonis Harrison plays the game with an edge where he utilizes his speed as a weapon and creates runs a variety of ways while patrolling the outfield like a Gold Glover. On Thursday, his big plays were instrumental as well as outstanding pitching by starter Ryan Graves and long reliever Benny Olguin in the Pasadena City College baseball team's 2-1 victory over Rio Hondo at Brookside Park's Jackie Robinson Memorial Field.

The state's #8-ranked Lancers continues to be tied for first place in the South Coast Conference with Mt. San Antonio, both with 13-4 conference records. In clinching its sixth consecutive conference series, PCC won its ninth straight game to improve to 24-7 overall. 

In the second inning, Harrison's opposite field sacrifice fly to left gave PCC a 1-0. In the fifth, Rio Hondo had a runner on first and one out when Aaron Gutierrez lifted a fly ball toward left field. Harrison, who was shifted well into left-center, raced to make a diving catch in deep left field that saved a run and kept the Lancers lead at 1-0. Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, rightfielder Jakob Guardado singled to right and was moved to second on the second of two sacrifice bunts by catcher Matt Rice.

Harrison followed with a perfectly placed bunt fielded by pitcher Joseph Russo, whose desperation throw to first arrived after Harrison reached for an easy single. The error skipped into foul territory, scoring Guardado with the game-winning run and sending Harrison to second base. 

Harrison's work was enough for the Graves-Olguin tandem, a creation of PCC head coach Pat McGee to combine the team's two experienced hurlers to increase the chances of winning that particular game each week. So far, the strategy has been effecitve. Graves allowed just one hit, a walk and a hit-by-pitch over 4-plus innings. Olguin worked through some control issues but was steady as he hurled five innings of 3-hit ball, allowing an unearned run, three walks with six Ks. Olguin improved his team-best record to 6-1 and lowered his South Coast Conference-leading ERA to 1.59, now fourth best in the state.

In 11 starts that the duo has pitched, the team is 9-2, but 6-1 in conference starts where the two have been the sole pitchers appearing in those games. Despite not starting a single game, Olguin leads the Lancers staff in innings pitched (51) and strikeouts (50). In the sophomore's last 39 innings going back to February 18, Olguin has allowed just 27 hits and two earned runs for a microscopic 0.46 ERA. In conference-only games, Olguin is 4-1 with a save and a 0.54 ERA in 33.1 innings.

The Roadrunners (16-15, 6-11 in SCC play) scored their run in the sixth inning. Shortstop Gabriel Rico singled, then made a little league trip around the bases. A passed ball by Rice was followed by his ensuing throw that sailed into centerfield. Lancers outfielder Max Blessinger attempted to throw out Rico who got up from his slide and took off to third. But Blessinger's throw skipped past Lancers third baseman Toshiki Kuriya as Rico jogged home for the PCC gift-wrapped RHC run. The end result of the play for PCC was a PB and two errors. 

Olguin stranded Rio Hondo runners on second base in each of the fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings. He struck out the side in the eighth while walking two in the frame. 

Guardado batted 2-for-2 with a walk as he was one of the few PCC hitters to reach v. Rio Hondo starter Blake Johnson, a 1-hitter over five innings with two walks. The Roadrunners trio of Johnson, Russo, and Camden Cooper combined to 5-hit the Lancers over eight innings, allowing just two unearned runs. 

PCC shortstop Raider Tello batted 1-for-4 to raise his state-leading hits total to 60. The freshman lined out to right in his first at-bat and was robbed of a hit in his final plate appeareance in the eighth when his shot up the middle deflected off the cleat of reliever Cooper to shortstop Rico who flipped the ball to second for a fielder's choice putout.

Tello's .432 batting average is sixth in the state and tops the South Coast Conference for overall batting. Blessinger, who is third in the state in hits with 54 (he singled in the eighth), continues to lead the state in runs scored with 46. The pair is tied for fourth in state RBI with 42. Tello is tied for fourth in doubles with 14. 

Pasadena's pitching staff in conference-only games (17) has a SCC-leading 3.69 ERA and a conference-low 52 walks in 153.2 innings. 

PCC closes the 3-game set at Rio Hondo on Saturday, April 9 in a 12 noon first pitch.