Ninth Inning Rally Results In Baseball's Extra-Inning Win

Down to their final two outs, the Pasadena City College baseball team rallied for two runs to tie it and then got a walk-off, bases loaded single by Adrian Roman in the 11th inning for a 5-4 victory over LA Valley in the finale of the SoCal Challenge Tournament. With PCC displaced from its regular home diamond, the Lancers played the 4-1/2 hour contest at Citrus College.

Trailing 4-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, hot-hitting rightfielder Devon Eskridge was hit by a pitch, third baseman Devin Munoz followed with a single, then outfielder Isaac Ton delivered a RBI basehit to center that cut the LAVC lead to one. Pinch hitter Brandon Gill followed with a clutch RBI groundout to third that scored pinch runner Tyler Garcia and sent the game to extra frames.

In the 11th, Ton and shortstop Bryan Richman picked up walks and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Rocco Regan, who came into the game at second base in the ninth, was intentionally walked to load the bases. That set it up for Roman, who promptly singled to left and brought on the obligatory game-ending celebration by the players. 

PCC upped its record to 3-2 overall.

Relievers Aiden Nunez and Matt Garcia (winning pitcher, 1-0) combined to throw six scoreless innings as Nunez (three innings, four hits, four strikeouts) and Garcia (three innings, three hits, two Ks) shut the door in allowing Pasadena to climb back. Hugo Tafoya had a strong start as well, allowing four runs in five innings, two walks and striking out five. 

"We got great pitching and defense and guys made good at bats in the ninth and 11th to steal a victory," said PCC head coach Pat McGee. "Our offense has been producing a ton of hits and runs in previous games, so it was nice to see our pitchers come through and pick the team up."

Eskridge batted 3-for-4 while Ton, Roman, Munoz, and Thomas Villanueva each collected two hits. The bottom starting four in the order were a combined 9-for-15. Eskridge, a redshirt freshman out of Arcadia High, had his fourth straight multiple-hit game and is batting .435.

Gill, a frosh first baseman-designated hitter, is leading the Lancers in batting at a .474 average and has an impressive 11 RBI in just five games, only three of those starts. He knocked in runs in both of his pinch-hitting appearances. 

On Jan. 31 in a tourney game played at Whittier College as a PCC home game, the SoCal #19-ranked Lancers had a rally fall short in a 9-8 loss to North #5 San Joaquin Delta. PCC led 4-1, but the Mustangs responded with two home runs by Derek Pham and another from Sutter Moss to take a 9-4 lead. 

The Lancers scored three runs in the eighth, then in the ninth a Richman sacrifice fly cut it to one run. With a runner in scoring position at second base, Regan flew out to center for game's final out. Eskridge ripped a 2-run homer to right center and added a double while Richman and Munoz also had two hits a piece. Catcher Joaquin Salcedo added a double.

Relievers Daniel Ramirez and regular first baseman Roman, a hard-throwing lefty making his PCC pitching debut, each recorded a shutout inning. 

Pasadena returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 6 at SoCal #2 Santa Ana (2 p.m. first pitch).