Home Sweet Home: Baseball Launches 4 Dingers, Win 2nd SCC Series

The return to its home diamond at Brookside Park's Jackie Robinson Memorial Field turned into a power show for the Pasadena City College baseball team on Thursday. Tyler Garcia slugged a home run for the third consecutive game as he was one of four Lancers to drive round-trippers in the team's 20-3 romp over LA Harbor.

The four home runs in one game is believed to be a PCC school record in games played at Brookside Park. 

The Lancers, 9-4 overall, also clinched their second straight South Coast Conference series with one game remaining v. the hapless Seahawks (5-9, and last in the conference at 0-5). PCC is 4-1 in conference play and sit at third place currently in the 9-team SCC.

Harbor has allowed a cartoonish 67 runs and 66 hits in its last three games, allowing 25 in its series finale defeat to Compton, 22 v. PCC on Tuesday, and another 20-spot on Thursday. 

Garcia, a sophomore centerfielder who was 3-for-4 with four runs scored, has not only homered in three straight contests, but has done so out of the No. 9 spot in the Lancers order. He slugged his bomb to center in the eighth inning. 

Frosh catcher Joaquin Salcedo had a banner day as he batted 3-for-6 with a home run, a double and six RBI. His homer was a 2-run prodigious drive over the left-center field fence. He is tied with Garcia with three home runs, his 19 RBI and .432 batting average are both fifth among SCC leaders. 

Second baseman Rocco Regan slugged a solo home run to right center in the seventh and backup designated hitter Devon Eskridge bombed a 2-run homer in the eighth. Eskridge and Garcia's dingers were back-to-back.

Additionally, rightfielder Isaac Ton was 3-for-5 with a double, first baseman Adrian Roman 2-for-4 and a double, with shortstop Bryan Richman, third baseman Devin Munoz and DH Jacob Escamilla each hitting doubles. 

As much as PCC head coach Pat McGee was happy with his team's display of power, he was more excited about the team finally getting access to Brookside Park. 

"I couldn't be more proud of the commitment and effort this team has shown," he said. "To play our first 12 games and six weeks on the road before finally getting to return home has been one of the most challenging experiences I have seen a team have to deal with."

Starting pitcher Joe Bacon allowed just three hits and two runs in four innings, then Aiden Nunez hurled four innings, allowing six hits and one unearned run to collect his third victory. Matt Garcia threw a scoreless ninth. 

PCC looks for a sweep of Harbor on Saturday, March 1 in a 12 noon contest at the Wilmington campus.