Philip George / Roundup
After rain washed out the Brahmas’ first four scheduled home games, the skies finally opened wide Saturday allowing Pierce College to return from its de-facto nine-game road trip and defeat the Vaqueros of Glendale Community College, 5-4, at Joe Kelley Field.
“It definitely feels good to come home and have the home crowd pump us up,” said Saturday’s starting pitcher Nick Rodarte. “There’s a lot more energy out of the dugout with the home crowd.”
Rodarte, heralded as one of the Brahmas’ top three freshman recruits, was touched up by Glendale in his first two innings of work, allowing two runs in each of the first two frames, the runs in the second inning coming off of five consecutive two-out hits and an error by second baseman Sean Spear.
“As a coach, you don’t like to give up hits no matter how many outs there are,” said head coach Joe Arnold. “That’s something we’ve been working on and talking about a lot is two-strike hits, two-out hits and getting batters put away and getting innings finished.”
The southpaw settled in after the second inning, retiring 12 of the final 14 batters he faced. He departed the game after tossing six innings of four-run ball, striking out five and walking none. He would receive a no-decision in the contest.
“I was just struggling a little bit mechanically but I got together with my pitching coach and he told me to stay back,” Rodarte said. “I got my firm fastball back and I was just throwing strikes and getting the secondary pitches over and that leads to success.”
The offense took advantage of Rodarte’s performance and scratched for a run in the bottom of the second inning thanks to sophomore Will Myrick’s RBI fielder’s choice. Pierce broke through in the third inning when sophomore Josh Reece stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and the Brahmas trailing by three.
Reece drove Glendale starter Gustavo Garcia’s 3-2 offering up the middle for a base hit, driving in Jason Barmasse and David Whetstone. James Wharton came around to score when Reece’s hit was bobbled by center fielder Chris Arredondo, tying the game at four.
“I was just looking for a strike with the bases loaded trying to hopefully work a walk or battle in the count. I found a fastball over the middle and was able to drive it,” Reece said.
The game would remain knotted up until right fielder J.C. Barker led off the home half of the seventh inning with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Glendale’s Steven DeArmond. Arnold then pulled Spear in favor of pinch-hitter Matt Faigh who doubled in the eventual winning run.
“I knew I had to come up clutch with something and he threw me a hanging curveball and I stayed on it,” Faigh said.
James Wharton was called upon in the ninth to close out the game, but had trouble doing so, quickly loading the bases on two singles and hit-batsmen, but got Steven Dultz to ground to Whetstone, ending the Vaquero threat.
“I was trying to throw strikes,” Wharton said. “It’s been a while since I’ve thrown so I was just trying to throw strikes and get guys out. I couldn’t get that third out for a while but it got done.”
Jacob Miranda was tagged with the win in Pierce’s victory after pitching two scoreless innings in relief. DeArmond the loss and Wharton picked up the save.
In what Reece hopes to be a “new chapter” of Brahma baseball this season, Pierce looks to begin a winning streak when it faces Citrus College on the road tomorrow at 2 p.m.
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