For the second straight game, the Pasadena City College baseball team lost a tough 1-run affair against a pre-season SoCal top 5-ranked team. On Tuesday, No. 3-rated Palomar edged the visiting Lancers, 5-4. That came after a 3-2 loss at No. 5-ranked Cypress on Feb. 7. The unranked Lancers are 3-3 thus far in 2019.
Against Palomar, PCC rightfielder Shane Ogata slugged a 2-run homer to left in the first inning. The Lancers fell behind, then regained the lead at 4-3 with two runs in the fifth capped by a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Austin Ruiz. But Palomar responded with the tying and winning runs in the seventh as Cameron Rowles delivered the decisive RBI single off PCC ace Gordon Ingebritson (6.1 innings, nine hits, five earned runs, two hit batters, one walk, and six Ks).
For the Lancers, second baseman Johnny Cedeno was 2-for-2, centerfielder Gabriel Arellano was 2-for-4 with a double and stolen base, and leftfielder Wyatt Coates went 2-for-4.
At Cypress, PCC lost on a bases loaded, two-out, walk-off wild pitch by reliever Benny Olguin. Relief pitcher Frank Gonzalez pitched four innings of 2-hit ball (one unearned run) after starter Matt Orozco threw the opening four frames (four hits, two runs, four strikeouts). Trailing 2-0, PCC tied it with two runs in the fifth on a RBI double by third baseman Marco Martinez followed by a RBI single by shortstop Ryan Lewis.
For the second time this year, 17 Lancers batters were struck out by opposing pitching, including an impressive eight Ks out of nine outs by Cypress middle reliever Austin Spinney. Both teams were held to five hits a piece.
On Feb. 6 at West Los Angeles, PCC poured it on with 22 hits in a 21-2 rout over the Wildcats. Pasadena led just 2-0 after five innings, but posted 10 runs in the sixth, sending 14 batters to the plate. In that high-scoring rally, Coates ripped a 2-run single, Ogata roped a 3-RBI double and Ruiz bombed a 2-run homer to left. Ruiz had two hits in the inning and first baseman Vic Zepeda also reached base twice on a hit-by-pitch and a single.
Ruiz finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and Coates went 3-for-4. Among the 12 Lancers with hits were Arellano (3-for-7, a double, and four runs scored out of the leadoff spot), Ogata (2-for-6 with four RBI and four runs scored), catcher Cole Pilar (2-for-3, three runs scored), Zepeda (2-for-4, two RBI) and Martinez (2-for-5). The beneficiary of the offensive show was starting and winning pitcher Patrick Pena, who hurled six innings of 3-hit shutout ball with four strikeouts.
The 21 runs is the most by a PCC team in 14 years when they posted that many in a 21-1 rout over Los Angeles City College (now defunct program) on April 7, 2005 at Griffith Park's Pote Field. PCC also scored 21 in the 2004 season finale in a win v. Compton College at Brookside Park's Jackie Robinson Field.
On Feb. 1 at Mt. San Jacinto, the Lancers lost a 5-2 decision against the Eagles. Arellano and Martinez each had two hits while Ingebritson pitched 5.1 innings of 5-hit, 2-run relief with five Ks.
After six games, Arellano is batting a team-best .433 with 13 hits, 11 runs scored, and six RBI. Ruiz is hitting .368 and tops the squad with two home runs and nine RBI. Lewis is batting .280 and his driven in eight runs. Pena tops the pitchers with a 2-0 mark in two starts (11 innings, 10 Ks) and a 1.64 ERA. Ingebritson has a 3.57 ERA with a team-high 17.2 innings and 16 strikeouts.
Due to the off and on rain this month, the Lancers have yet to play a home game. PCC will be on a monster homestand that features eight in a row at JR Field, but the weather could affect the posted schedule. Check for updates, postponements, time changes, etc at:
http://pcclancers.com/sports/bsb/2018-19/schedule
Also follow Coach Pat McGee's Lancers on our official athletics twitter site:
https://twitter.com/PCCAthletics