Must Win By Baseball v. State #5 El Camino Creates Shift In South Coast

A funny thing happened on the way to state #5 El Camino College's South Coast Conference baseball title clinching party on Thursday. Unranked Pasadena City College put the kibosh on it.

The host Lancers rallied from down 7-3 and stunned the Warriors, 11-8, in a must win for the Lancers as they attempt to seek an eight consecutive berth in the Southern California Regional Playoffs.

PCC's comeback allowed defending, 3C2A state champ and current #21 Mt. San Antonio to grab at least a share of its second straight SCC crown at 19-15. El Camino (32-7, 18-5), a team that occupied first place for 22 games, now is in jeopardy of finishing second place instead.

If the Lancers (22-16, 15-8, fourth place) beat ECC on the road today (Friday, April 24) in the 2 p.m. conference finale, Mt. SAC wins the title outright. If the Warriors win, they would tie the Mounties as co-champions.

In Thursday's contest at Brookside Park's Jackie Robison Field, El Camino plated five runs in the top of the fifth inning, highlighted by a 2-run homer by Slater Nunez. The 7-3 lead usually would spell automatic win with ECC ace Adrian Pineda on hill. Coming in with an 8-1 record and conference-leading 2.00 ERA, Pineda instead got rattled by the Lancers' patient batting approach.

Pineda became his own worst enemy as he walked eight batters and hit one, finally being lifted in the fifth inning despite being ahead 7-4. Pineda, the SCC's strikeout leader as well with 87, was also hurt by two ECC errors.

In the sixth, Joaquin Salcedo walloped a clutch, 3-run homer over the centerfield wall off Warriors' reliever Henry Sorman that tied it at 7-7. El Camino regained the lead at 8-7 with a run in the top of the seventh only to see the Lancers respond again in the bottom of the frame.

After a single by Diego Gurfein, Xiovany Ochoa doubled to right center and Salcedo's groundout scored Gurfein to knot it again at 8-8. Logan Parker and Isaac Ton followed with RBI singles as PCC went ahead for good. Gurfein added an insurance run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth. After a scoreless first, PCC scored runs in each of the next seven innings. 

Matt Garcia picked up his second win (1.1 innings, one run) and closer Sergio Robles collected his fifth save (1.2 scoreless innings) inducing a game-ending, 4-6-3 double play. First reliever Alex Myers' 1.1 shutout innings meant the PCC bullpen finished a combined 4.1 innings, allowing only four hits and one unearned run).

Ton reached base five times, four on walks in going 1-for-1 while both Ochoa and Parker had 2-hit performances. 

Salcedo, a sophomore catcher, continued his monster RBI run this month. In April, he extended his streak of now eight games of knocking in at least one run. He had four RBI in the win and now 22 in the streak to raise his team-leading total to 39. That puts him tied for fifth in SCC ribbies. PCC is 7-1 during his streak.

On Tuesday in the series opener, El Camino ended the Lancers' 6-game winning string, 10-4. PCC actually outhit the Warriors, 15-13, but stranded 13 runners on base. Salcedo (two doubles), Omar Cisneros, Chris Torres, Ton (2-for-2) and Joey Ramos each totaled two hits. PCC left at least a runner on base in all nine of its batting innings, including the bases loaded in the eighth.