Kirsten Sharaf
The Pierce College men’s baseball team defeated Citrus College Thursday, 12-7, with freshman Ryan Gaspora coming up big with a triple, a double and 4 RBIs.
The Brahmas got off to a rocky start, committing two errors that resulted in runs in the top of the first inning.
Citrus College took a quick lead, capitalizing on Pierce’s mistakes and scoring four runs on two hits and ending the first inning with a score of 4-0.
James Wharton and Nick Rodarte helped get the Brahmas back in the game, each contributing two RBIs in the bottom of the third.
Mike LaRosa was the starting pitcher going six innings, giving up six hits and five runs and got the win.
“There were a lot of first-pitch fast balls,” LaRosa said. “I played with their heads a little bit.”
After an error in the first, LaRosa came back with a strong performance.
“We have good pitching,” said head coach Joe Arnold. “It started out a little shaky in the first but we settled in.”
The Brahmas’ standout performer of the game, Gaspora, brought his team new life when he scored a triple in the bottom of the fourth.
“It felt good. I was looking for a pitch to drive and I got it. The pitching was good and the hitting was good. Everything is starting to come along now,” Gaspora said.
“We’ve been struggling (offensively) a little bit, we practiced yesterday and worked on quite a few things with our swings and are trying to change our approach a little bit,” Arnold added.
The Brahmas more than tripled their hits from their previous game against Citrus, totaling 16.