Baseball Posts Most Runs By PCC Team In 23 Years

When Pasadena City College and Chaffey met up in football in November, the American Bowl championship won by the Panthers totaled just 28 points--16-12. So on Monday, the two schools made up for that lack of scoring, but on the baseball diamond. The Lancers scored the most runs by a Pat McGee-coached team in outlasting host Chaffey, 24-14. 

Since McGee became head coach in 2015, the previous high for the Lancers was 21 runs in a 2019 win over West Los Angeles. 

It is the most runs by a PCC team in 23 years when it downed CalTech, 24-2, in a 2001 contest. The 38 runs came up one short of most combined runs in a Lancers game when PCC lost to Southern Nevada, 24-15, back in 2000. 

Pasadena maintains a strong standing in the SoCal RPI race to the playoffs, now at #18.

PCC (22-16 overall) banged out 21 hits and had 39 baserunners thanks to 15 walks and three hit-by-pitches allowed by Chaffey, who had just clinched the Inland Empire Athletic Conference championship and fell to 26-12. The top three hitters in PCC's lineup each made a remarkable eight plate appearances. 

Second baseman Ivan Barragan batted 4-for-6, with a double, scored five runs and had three RBI while third baseman Devin Munoz also was 4-for-6 with three runs knocked in. Shortstop Jack Esguerra reached base six times (3-for-5, two walks, a hit by pitch) while Barragan, Munoz, leftfielder and leadoff hitter Bryan Richman (2-for-5, three walks, three RBI), and rightfielder Ryan Ivanyi (2-for-3, three walks) all reached safely five times. 

First baseman Adrian Roman hit 3-for-7 with three RBI and catcher Mark Manuel was 2-for-6. Centerfielder Thomas Villanueva didn't get a hit, but drew four free passes (all walks). Designated hitter Evan Nahra added a RBI double. 

PCC posted eight runs in the fourth innings, five in the fifth, and six in the seventh. Chaffey picked up a late touchdown, scoring seven runs over the final two innings. 

Connor Campbell (3.1 innings, six hits, five runs, four strikeouts ) was credited with his fifth win in relief and Ernesto Duenas gets his fourth save (three innings, seven hits, four earned runs). Lefty Alex Saucedo hurled 1.2 innings of no-hit relief early in the contest. 

Chaffey slugged three home runs, including a 3-run shot by Ryder Young in the sixth, and actually had eight extra-base hits overall to just two by PCC. In all the teams combined for 38 runs, 36 hits, 21 walks, three hit batters. Seven different players collected three RBI and six scored at least three runs

There might be a short quiz later on all of the wacky statistics from this non-conference run-fest. 

WIth a 5-1 record over their last six games, the Lancers will play at San Bernardino Valley on Wednesday, April 24 in a 1 p.m. non-conference matchup.