Late Offensive Explosion Leads Hancock to 11-4 Win At L.A. Pierce

(Woodland Hills, CA) A nine-run barrage in the final two innings led the Allan Hancock College baseball team to an 11-4 win at L.A. Pierce in a Western State Conference game on Wednesday afternoon. The victory, Hancock's first against the Brahmas in four meetings this season, improved the Bulldogs' record to 7-11 in conference play and 11-18 overall. L.A. Pierce fell to 8-10 in league and 12-18 for the season. The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but was rescheduled due to the wet weather.

Catcher Riley Joyce went three for five with 3 RBI, including a bases loaded triple in a four-run ninth inning for the Bulldogs. Shortstop Ellis Gerussi-Turner, third baseman Zach Lampreia and first baseman Tim Mahoney each had two hits for the Bulldogs. Lampreia and designated hitter Isaiah Ramos had 2 RBI apiece.

Hancock took an early lead with two runs in the first. Gerussi-Turner led off the game with a walk and scored on two errors committed on a ball hit in play by Colton Studebaker. Lampreia drove in Studebaker from third with a basehit to give Hancock a 2-0 lead.

The Bulldogs carried the lead into the fourth behind starting pitcher Skylar Bischoff. However, Pierce scored once in the fourth, and nearly tied it but Christensen gunned down a runner at the plate to end the inning. The Brahmas rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth against Bischoff to take a 4-2 lead.

The Bulldogs trailed until they exploded for five runs in the eighth inning against Pierce relief pitcher Pablo Gonzalez. Studebaker led off with a walk and scored on a triple by Colby Barrick. The freshman right fielder scored on a single by Lampreia to make it a 4-3 game. After Mahoney singled to move Lampreia over to third, Hunter Christensen reached on an error by the Pierce third baseman that allowed Lampreia to score the tying run. Riley Joyce reached on a fielder's choice that eliminated Christensen at second and moved Mahoney to third. Bret Weisberg replaced Gonzalez out of the bullpen and promptly allowed a RBI-single to Ramos that drove in Mahoney with the go-ahead run. The Bulldogs added another run on a suicide squeeze bunt down the third baseline by sophomore Angel Guillen. Joyce scored to cap a five-run rally and give Hancock a 7-4 lead. 

The Bulldogs added four insurance runs in the ninth when Joyce hit a bases loaded triple to score Barrick, Lampreia and Christensen, who all drew walks. Ramos hit a sacrifice fly to right field to allow Joyce to tag up and score to make it an 11-4 Hancock lead.

Bischoff allowed eight hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings. The Hancock starter walked one and struck out three. Chance Miranda threw 3 1/3 innings of one-hit shutout relief for the Bulldogs to earn the win and even his record at 2-2. He walked two Brahmas.

The Bulldogs are in the middle of playing three games in four days as they travel to Oxnard on Thursday for a 2:30 p.m. contest. The first place Condors are ranked fourth in the Southern California Regional. They fell 4-3 to Fresno on Wednesday. Oxnard is 12-4 in conference and 21-6-1 overall. They hold a half-game lead over Santa Barbara in the WSC standings. The Bulldogs host Oxnard on Saturday at 1 p.m.