The season series between Pierce and L.A. Valley College concluded Thursday with Valley posting a come-from-behind victory with the score of 11-6.
The Brahmas led the season series two games to one and were looking to knock Valley out of contention for the Western State Conference South Division.
Valley had plans of their own. After cruising to a 6-1 lead, behind the arm of Dan Berlind and a great defensive effort by the Brahmas, the Valley Monarchs jumped on an opportunity in the seventh and eighth innings to score 10 runs and tie the season series at two.
After starting the game with a hit batsman, Pierce scored first with an RBI double off the center field wall by Danny Heller, who was immediately driven in by leftfielder Calvin Culver, giving Pierce a 2-0 lead before Valley even had a chance to bat.
The hard-throwing right-hander Berlind worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning by striking out John Henry Jacobs, then getting a ground ball to end the inning.
The Pierce offense fired again in the second with Andrew Tapia driving a pitch to center field and scoring Pierce’s third run of the game.
In the bottom of the inning, Valley infielder Justin Kaid bounced a seeing-eye-single into the outfield, but was immediately thrown out by Pierce catcher Steve Notaro, in an attempt to steal second base on the next pitch.
The third inning brought more offense from the Brahmas, with second baseman Dan Soles delivering a bases-loaded, sacrifice fly giving Pierce the early 3-1 lead.
The bottom of the third brought some great defense from the Brahmas, highlighted by Travis Weed making a foul-territory catch while navigating around the bullpen fence behind third base.
Weed then lead off the next inning with a single and was driven in by Calvin Culver’s 2 RBI single, stretching Pierce’s lead to five.
Berlind had his fastball and off-speed pitches working for him and pitched out of another jam in the bottom of the sixth. Valley was threatening with runners on second and third, and after a mound visit by pitching coach John Bushart, proceeded to strike out the next batter on three pitches.
The seventh inning was the end of the road for Berlind, finishing his day with 10 strikeouts and leaving the game with two runners on and a 6-1 lead.
Right hander Taylor King came in to finish off the inning despite a bases-loaded single by Valley’s Mitch Garcia, bringing the score to 6-3.
Then the wheels came off and after a series of base hits and groundballs that seemed to find every hole in the Pierce defense, the Valley Monarchs managed to score eight runs in the eighth inning, capped-off by a bases clearing double by Leandro Dottavio.
The game ended shortly after the Brahmas went down in succession, 1-2-3 in the ninth. Cheers from Valley players rang out, “Twenty-seven outs, 27 outs,” and were heard throughout the field alluding to the fact that the game must be played hard for 27 outs.
Pierce has their own reason to cheer and if they did it would sound something like “Twenty-three games, 23 games.”
This is the total number of games on the Pierce schedule.
With four games remaining, the Brahmas are two wins shy of clinching the Western State Conference South Championship.
The Pierce baseball team takes on Mission College at home tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.
Dan Heller hit a home run and scores one at the bottom of seventh against Valley College on April 17. “They play well,” said coach Bob Lofrano. “Today’s game deserves the game.” The Pierce team won 6-2. They then lost to Valley on Thursday. ()