Baseball Takes All Road Rio Hondo Series

Shortstop Bryan Richman put on a hitting and fielding clinic on Saturday as the Pasadena City College baseball team won its opening South Coast Conference series v. Rio Hondo, two games-to-one. The Lancers took the rubber match in the finale, 11-8, as all three contests were played at the Roadrunners' on-campus Whittier home diamond.

PCC is 7-4 this season but have yet to play a single game at its off-campus home diamond--Jackie Robinson Memorial Field at Brookside Park, located next to the Rose Bowl. Between relief efforts made by the City of Pasadena to help those from the Eaton fire to recent field watering issues, the Lancers have had to not only play all games on the road but also must find alternate facilities just to hold a practice.

Despite those hurdles, PCC got a lift from their pre-season All-American shortstop and leadoff batter Richman, who keyed an early rally from down 5-2, lining a 2-RBI triple to left in the second inning after he singled and scored in the first. In the third, the lefty hitter placed another 2-run hit, this time a single to right that allowed PCC to go up 8-5.

Richman, who finished 3-for-5 with four RBI, ripped hard hit balls on his last two at-bats, robbed of a hit by a nice by Rio Hondo shortstop Diego Helguera in the fourth and lining a shot for an out to right-center in the seventh. 

Defensively, Richman recorded five assists, three times stealing hits away from RHC batters. His best play was on a ball hit up the middle in the fourth by Marcus Hernandez as it hit the second bag. The ball skipped off the bag as Richman was about to field it, but instinctively he was able to barehand it and in one motion fired a perfect throw to first for the inning-ending out (see story's photo).

"We like to call him 'baseball player' in reference to just how many different skills he does well whether it's hitting, fielding, making big throws, or running the bases," said PCC head coach Pat McGee. "He really lifted our team today when we were struggling early."

Two other sophomores also made big contributions in the finale in centerfielder Tyler Garcia and starting and winning pitcher Connor Campbell. 

Garcia, who drew a bases-loaded walk for a 6-5 PCC lead in the third, launched a 2-run homer over the centerfield fence in the fourth. In the sixth, he hit a towering monster blast down the left field line that curled foul. He was 1-for-2 with three runs scored, three RBI, and two walks.

Tyler Garcia 

Campbell (3-1 record) recovered from a rough start to silence the Roadrunners' bats the last four innings. From the moment Richman made his magician play in the fourth, Campbell retired the final 13 batters he faced. He finished hurling eight innings, allowing eight hits, two earned runs, striking out four and did not allow a single walk. 

Matt Garcia came in with two runners on base and threw a scoreless ninth for his first save. Catcher Joaquin Salcedo batted 2-for-4 with a RBI. 

On Thursday, PCC rallied from down 7-1, taking an 8-7 lead in the eighth on a wild pitch that scored first baseman Adrian Roman. With the Lancers serving as the official "home team," Rio Hondo took its turn in the top of the ninth and touched reliever Aiden Nunez for three hits and scored what proved to be the winning run on a 2-out double by Izaak Fernandez for the 9-8 decision.  

In the bottom of the ninth, PCC put the tying run in scoring position on a single by leftfielder Thomas Villanueva and a hit-by-pitch drawn by Richman. However, the rally and game ended as pinch hitter and team current leading hitter Salcedo (.417 batting average) flew out to center off Rio Hondo reliever E.J. Feliz, who earned the save.

Highlights for Pasadena were three hits by Villanueva, Daniel Ramirez pitching two shutout relief innings, Garcia driving in two runs on a double and sacrifice fly, and rightfielder Devon Eskridge going 2-for-4 with a RBI double. 

PCC begins its next 3-game conference set on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at LA Harbor.