Pitching Impresses In Baseball's SoCal Challenge Victories

The Pasadena City College baseball team relied on sharp pitching efforts from the pitching staff in posting back-to-back wins to close out the SoCal Challenge tourney on Feb. 2-3.

After a 10-3 loss to San Joaquin Delta on Jan. 31, the Lancers (3-2 overall) bounced back, beating LA Pierce, 10-4, on Friday, then defeating LA Mission, 7-1 on Saturday.

Against Pierce in a game played at LA Valley College due to wet field conditions at Brookside Park, freshman Joe Bacon hurled six strong innings, scattering seven hits for his first collegiate pitching victory.

Bacon recorded 1-2-3 innings in the first, third and fourth innings. With PCC ahead 2-1 in the fifth, Bacon stranded runners on second and third with consecutive strikeouts. 

Lefty freshman Ernesto Duenas earned his second save, allowing three hits, one run and striking out seven batters. Pierce's final five outs were all Ks by Duenas.

Offensively, catcher Mark Manuel was 2-for-5 with a double, centerfielder Thomas Villanueva 2-for-3, and leftfielder Bryan Richman was 1-for-2 with a walk, a HBP, a sacrifice fly and two runs scored and two RBI. Third baseman Jaden Guzman added a double. 

On Saturday back at Jackie Robinson Memorial Field, frosh righty Connor Campbell improved to 2-0 in two starts as he allowed three hits and overcame some wildness (three walks, two hit-by-pitches), but giving up only one unearned run v. LA Mission bats. Campbell wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the first by getting Ruben Lira to fly out to left. 

Sophomore reliever Ben Griffith earned a 4-inning, shutout save, allowing just two hits while striking out four. Letterman second baseman Ivan Barragan made a spectacular diving stop on a ball hit up the middle and then gunned out the runner for the game's final out. 

Tied 1-1 in the fifth, PCC took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Barragan and a booming, RBI double to center from centerfielder Tyler Garcia. First baseman Adrian Roman batted 2-for-4 with a double and lining a 2-run triple to right in the eighth on a diving attempt by Lira. Richman was 2-for-4 and Manuel 1-for-3 with a pair of walks. 

"I feel like our freshmen have been the guys really performing for us right now," said PCC head coach Pat McGee. "We've received some solid pitching from Bacon, Campbell, and Duenas. At the plate, Manuel, Roman and Richman are leading the offense and executing well in run-scoring opportunities. Once we can get a few of our returning sophomores to produce, we have a chance to do some great things."

Lefty swinging Roman is batting .474 with three extra-base hits and leads the team with six walks and .600 on-base percentage. Manuel has posted a .450 average with four doubles, five RBI, and a .560 on-base clip. Richman has scored a team-high nine runs while Garcia tops the sqaud in RBI with six. Catcher Evan Nahra (two doubles) and Villanueva each are 3-for-9 (.333) in their hitting chances.

Five of the six players are first-year college hitters and Manuel, a sophomore transfer had just 22 plate apperances a year ago while playing at Mt. San Antonio College.

Jack Esguerra, the team's second-year shortstop, was 2-for-4 with a double and Roman 2-for-5 against Delta. 

Rain could affect next week's schedule. Check PCC's official X site @PCCAthletics and this website for potential date changes.

Adrian Roman in photo below