Fittingly on Sophomore Day at Robinson Park, several second-year players rose to the occasion for the Pasadena City College softball team in rallying to beat non-conference foe San Bernardino Valley, 5-4, in eight innings on Wednesday. It was the team's final home game of the 2024 season.
Trailing 4-2 and down to their final out, sophomore transfer first baseman Monica Gutierrez launched her fifth home run of the season, a 2-run shot over the right-center field fence that tied it. In the top of the eighth, another sophomore transfer pitcher Leiana Rodriguez gave up a lead-off double, then stranded the runner retiring the next three hitters in order.
With one out in the bottom of the extra inning, 2-year lettermen centerfielder Natalie Shahin singled to center, then stole second. Rodriguez followed with a grounder to second base, but when SBVC infielder Angelina Agramon fumbled the ball and threw late to first it allowed Shahin to race home, head-first sliding to beat the ensuing throw to the plate for the game-winning run.
This was the third time this season that PCC won a game after trailing one out away from defeat.
It was a banner day for Shahin as she batted 3-for-4 with a triple while Rodriguez was brilliant in the circle with six innings of 5-hit relief (one run) for her fourth victory. Lettermen catcher Alyssa Guzman batted 2-for-4 to raise her team-leading batting average to .368 and gunned out two Wolverine runners trying to steal.
Behind 3-0 in the fifth, Rodriguez laced a RBI double, then Guzman singled to center for another run. PCC's other 2-year sophomore Ivy Avalos pitched the first two innings and although she surrended a 3-run homer to Alyssa Jauregui, the runs were unearned following a Lancers error.
"Monica has had some big-time at bats late in games and today was no different," said PCC head coach Audriana Gutierrez. "Natalie has been such an unselfish player for us as our premier bunt specialist, but she hit the ball so well and then her speed won us the game. Leiana pitched great in relief, Alyssa just has a cannon behind the plate, and Ivy has been our starting pitcher warrior all season. Great day for the sophomores."
Freshman leftfielder Alysa Rojas was 2-for-4 at the plate.
After the game, Gutierrez, Rodriguez, Shahin, Guzman and Avalos were honored in a sophomore ceremony that included their parents and other relatives.
Sporting a 4-2 record in the last six contests, PCC (8-25 overall) has two more South Coast Conference games to finish the season on the road, starting with Friday's (April 19) 1 p.m. contest at Mt. San Antonio College.
Eight of the nine games the team has played this month have not been played to the regulation seven innings. Three have gone extra innings, two six innings, and three done in five innings. The Lancers have played in seven games decided by a single run for a 3-4 record.
Other Sophomore Day photos in gallery below:
