The Pasadena City College baseball team has batted in 18 innings thus far this season and have already thrown down a full house in high-scoring frames, plating four runs three times and five runs twice. The Lancers once again broke open a game late and waltzed over host San Diego Mesa, 13-3, on Tuesday.
PCC (2-0) has scored 27 runs in just two games. Also for the second straight game, the pitching was top notch as sophomore Patrick Pena hurled five innings of 5-hit, 2-run ball with six strikeouts for the win. Letterman reliever Lorenzo Llorens pitched one scoreless inning and then second-year Lancer Frank Gonzalez picked up the automatic save by completing the final three innings with a lead, allowing just one hit and an unearned run.
Leadoff hitter and frosh centerfielder Gabriel Arellano (2-for-5) and rookie first baseman Vic Zepeda (1-for-3, two hit-by-pitches) each collected three RBI. Sophomore rightfielder Shane Ogata batted 2-for-3, letterman second baseman Ryan Lewis added two RBI and sophomore transfer catcher Cole Pilar was 1-for-3 with a double and two walks. Seven different Lancers drove in runs.
Hard to criticize the offense and yet the Lancers coaches were not thrilled with the team's overall lack of contact. Seven San Diego Mesa pitchers combined to strike out 17 PCC batters, but other than recorded outs the statistic was frivolous.
Tied 2-2, Pasadena took the lead for good in the second inning when Lewis walked with the bases loaded and Ogata followed with a sacrifice fly for a 4-2 advantage. In the seventh, the Lancers unleashed the bats with designated hitter Austin Ruiz ripping an RBI single, Pilar's run-scoring double, Zepeda's 2-RBI basehit, and Arellano also driving in a run on a single. Arellano also drove in two more in PCC's 4-run eighth inning.
The team's offense has been helped by simply reaching base. The Lancers totaled 23 hits (.295 team batting average), 16 walks, and eight HBPs for an outrageous .456 on-base percentage. PCC's pitching limited Mesa and Citrus to a combined 12 hits, six walks and three hit-by-pitches and a .190 batting average against.
With rain in the forecast, stay tuned on our website and Twitter @PCCAthletics to see if the team will play its next game at Mt. San Jacinto on Thursday, Jan. 31.