For the seventh straight season going back to 2019, the Pasadena City College baseball team recorded its first victory on the road against the same opponent--Citrus. But Saturday's 5-4 win for the Lancers was the closest the Owls have challenged the Lancers.
PCC (1-1) were tied 3-3 until plating two runs in the top of the eighth inning on a clutch solo home run to left-center by sophomore catcher Isaac Ton and then frosh third baseman Chris Torres' fly ball, RBI double down the right field line.
In the ninth, freshman reliever Jonathan Bracamonte got out of a second-and-third jam inducing Citrus lead-off hitter Dominic Torrez to ground out to Torres for the final out in earning the save. The Lancers received strong outings by 6-foot-5 starting first-year pitcher AJ Flores (four innings, three hits, two runs, one walk, three strikeouts) and winning lefty reliever Alex Valencia, who fired four innings, scattering five hits, two runs with no walks and two Ks.
Newcomers in rightfielder Luke Bauer and centerfielder Xiovany Ochoa are off to hot starts. Bauer batted 4-for-5, scoring three runs, while the lefty-batting Ochoa delivered a 3-for-4 performance with a double. In the Lancers' 11-3, season-opening loss at Cypress on Friday, Ochoa knocked in all of PCC's runs (2-for-3) while Bauer was 2-for-3 with a walk. That means the rookie duo is a red-hot .733, hitting a combined 11-for-15 in two games..
Add in returning sophomore shortstop Omar Cisneros, who has collected a pair of 2-hit games thus far.
Against Citrus, frosh designated hitter Diego Gurfein lined a 2-RBI single to left field for a 2-0 PCC lead in the second inning and added a run-scoring grounder in the fourth. Torres had the team's best defensive play, a diving catch on a popped up bunt early in the contest.
Left-handed hitting first baseman Cam Casado nearly hit for the cycle for Citrus, lining a home run over the center-field fence, adding a double and two singles, one on a bunt.
PCC head coach Pat McGee, who has directed the Lancers to postseason appearances in each of the last seven seasons, is in his 11th season overall while coaching the players at off-campus Brookside Park Jackie Robinson Field. Despite the hardship of being off-campus playing against colleges throughout the state with the luxury of competing on their campuses, McGee has a winning record of 206-178 after decades of mostly losing seasons under previous head coaches.
"I'm really proud of how the kids played this weekend," he said. "Bouncing back v. a really good Citrus team showed a ton of character. Flores, Valencia and Bracamonte were outstanding on the hill v. a strong offense. We had huge contributions from Ton, Bauer, and Ochoa. To play as well as we did this weekend considering the City of Pasadena only afforded us three practice days says a lot about these young men.
"You can't expect the Dodgers to compete with only three practice days leading up to a college season, but that's what these young men were able to accomplish. Good for them!"
Other returning Lancers from the '25 team include All-South Coast Conference Second Team Joaquin Salcedo (.369, eight home runs, 16 doubles, four triples, 39 RBI), All-SCC Second Team reliever Matt Garcia (4-1, four saves, 21 appearances), fellow hurlers in redshirt lefty Alex Saucedo and '26 opening-day starter Sergio Robles, outfielder Jacob Escamilla, and third baseman-pitcher Logan Parker.
Sophomore transfers include outfielder Gabe Martinez (Rio Hondo College), and pitchers Anthony Alexander (Providence Christian College), Aden Barcelo (Fullerton), and Cadan Montes (Chaffey).
Top recruits include Ochoa (Chino High), Flores and starting second baseman Joey Ramos (both from Northview HS), each selected All-CIF Southern Section-Division 4 as seniors. Other key newcomers are Torres (All-Pacific League at Crescenta Valley High), Bauer (South Hills HS, San Gabriel Valley All-Area Team), Valencia (Whittier Christian), Bracamonte, and infielder Gurfein (both from South Pasadena HS).
McGee returns his assistant coaching staff of Nico Calderaro (in his ninth season), Ryan Graves (a 2020-2022 PCC pitching alumnus) and Sean Fasig, each in their second years assisting McGee.
The Lancers next host three straight games on Jan. 29-31 as part of the SoCal Challenge Tourney beginning with a Thursday game against LA Pierce. First pitch is 2 p.m. at JR Field, walking distance from the Rose Bowl.
