The Pasadena City College baseball team used a brilliant starting performance by Jonathan Bracamonte to win the middle game of its opening to South Coast Conference play v. Cerritos, but the Falcons won the other two contests to take the 3-game series, 2-1.
PCC, 6-8 overall, was outscored 25-11 in the three games as offense has been tough to come by in the early part of the 2026 season.
On Monday (Feb. 23), the Lancers lost at Cerritos, 8-2, as the series was pushed back a few days due to the heavy rain last week.
The Lancers trailed just 3-2 after scoring two runs in the top of the seventh when designated hitter Kyle Ly doubled in one run and PCC plated another on a Falcons outfield fielding error. But Cerritos responded with five runs in the bottom of the frame including a solo home run by Tyler Peshke to put the game out of reach. Ly and Luke Bauer each batted 2-for-4.
On Feb. 21 at Brookside Park's Jackie Robinson Field, the Lancers scored three runs in the first inning and Bracamonte made it stand up as he hurled seven innings of 3-hit ball for his first collegiate win. The freshman got the Falcons to roll into three double plays and he delivered two 1-2-3 innings in keeping the opponents bats at bay.
The Lancers got him the runs that he needed as second baseman Logan Parker hit a RBI single, catcher Isaac Ton knocked in a run on a ground out, and third baseman Chris Torres hit a run-scoring single up the middle. PCC did the damage against 2025 SCC Pitcher of the Year Nolan Patterson.
Cerritos cut it to one with a run in the ninth, but Sergio Robles shut it down for his second save of the season. Ly batted 2-for-3.
In the opener on Feb. 20, the Lancers pitchers gave up a 5-spot in the fourth and allowed six in the ninth in a 15-6 defeat. PCC got hitting in this one with catcher Joaquin Salcedo slugging a solo home run to left center in the fourth, shorstop Omar Cisneros went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, Xiovany Ochoa was 2-for-5 and Torres reached base in all five of his plate appearances on a single and four walks.
PCC now begins its next 3-game series v. East Los Angeles, hosting the Huskies on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in a 2 p.m. game at Brookside Park's Jackie Robinson Field.