With a share of first place in the Western State Conference South Division a single win away, the Brahmas were unable to capitalize on home-field advantage as they were mauled by the Cougars of College of the Canyons, 16-4, Thursday at Joe Kelley Field.
“We were in second place, a game out of first today, and this is the kind of performance we get?” asked a livid head coach Joe Arnold. “Five errors and 17 hits, 16 runs and get blown out by 12 in your own yard?”
The shaky play began right from the opening inning, as Canyons posted two runs in the first aided by two Brahma errors in one play. Pierce rebounded in the bottom half of the frame with three runs of its own thanks to a titanic blast from James Wharton, followed by RBI hits from Cole McCune and Ryan Gasporra.
“I was trying o get a pitch I could hit and drove it over the fence,” Wharton said. “It felt good.”
The feel-good sensation didn’t last, however, as Pierce starter Mike LaRosa relinquished the lead, allowing solo runs in the third and fourth frames.
“I just didn’t have my stuff,” LaRosa said. “I was falling behind batters and they took advantage of it.”
The worst was yet to come for the sophomore southpaw as Canyons lit him up for four more runs in the fifth before he was pulled in favor of J.P. O’Leary.
LaRosa took the loss Thursday, departing after allowing eight runs (five earned) in five and two-thirds innings. He struck out two and walked two.
O’Leary failed to contain the Cougars as well, allowing three more runs before recording the inning’s final two outs.
Canyons followed up their seven-run eruption in the sixth inning with five more in the seventh off Ricardo Valenzuela. Pierce could only answer with a single run in the bottom of the seventh as they succumbed to the 12-run defeat.
“I’m out of answers,”
“Obviously the talent is here, so why aren’t we winning? It has to come from character,” he continued. “This might be one of the most talented teams in the state, but we’re now 10-11. So if it’s not talent, what is it? To me, it’s character.”
“At a certain point, these guys have to take ownership and take responsibility for their game,” he added. “We’re not out of this thing yet. Maybe this will be a wake-up call to these guys.”
The Brahmas seek redemption today at 1 p.m., squaring off against Canyons one more time, in the series finale on the road.