Pierce’s baseball team won the first game of their series with Mission College with a final score of 8-7 after being tied in the ninth inning after a walk-off home run.
Thomas Wilson took the mound against Mission College at the start of the game and pitched eight innings. In the bottom of the first inning, Alexis Miranda made a strong hit, helping the team get on the scoreboard first with a two-run RBI.
Pitcher Thomas Wilson said the game was really competitive from the start.
“What a game,” Wilson said. “That’s an energetic team. Obviously, we’re an energetic team. We are the top two teams in the conference. It’s always fun to compete like that.”
As both sides heckled each other, the umpire gave Mission’s team a bench warning as their competitiveness crossed the line..
Left fielder Alexis Miranda said he could feel the intensity of both teams in the matchup.
“It was insane,” Miranda said. “There was a lot of tension and activity going on between both teams. It was a very, very rowdy game the entire time.”
Miranda said he enjoyed helping his teammates out by getting the first hit and setting the game off to a good start.
“It was fun because I got to start it off and it was a huge inning,” Miranda said. “We got the board with three runs, and it basically gave us momentum the entire game until the final inning.”
In the first inning, Will Picketts was at bat and hit the ball into the center field gap, driving in another run for the Brahmas making the score 3-0.
In the top of the third inning, Mission scored two runs getting their first two point of the game making the score 3-2.
Picketts got on first base with a walk. He attempted to steal third base and was tagged out. Brandon Lewis was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the third inning.
Mission made an error in the fifth inning as Picketts advanced to second base and Lewis to first.
Infielder Micah Ortiz got a single in the bottom of the sixth inning, bringing the score for the Brahmas to 6-2.
Wilson relinquished two runs in the top of the seventh making the score 6-4.
Wilson started struggling in the bottom of the seventh.
“It was a little frustrating with that late seventh inning two runs. I gave up. That’s definitely frustrating, I’ll be thinking about that one for a little while,” Wilson said.
Head coach Bill Picketts relieved Wilson of his pitching duties in the eighth inning bringing in relief pitcher Andrew Ochoa.
Miranda came to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning getting a single sending Ortiz across home plate.
Picketts brought his ace pitcher Chris Kovach to the pitcher’s mound to close out the game. In the top of the ninth inning, pitcher Kovach struck out Mission players with the game tied at 7-7.
“He’s starting on Saturday, so I didn’t want to throw him at all, but I had to get someone that could get us an out, and he did that,” Picketts said.
First baseman Lewis came to the plate with the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning. He hit a walk-off game-winning home run over the 390-foot center field wall.
“I was pumped. Definitely one of my best baseball moments,” Lewis said.