Home Run Makes the Difference in P-P Baseball Win, 8-7, Over Cal Lu

In Friday’s game against Cal Lutheran, the Sagehen baseball team came back from a two-run deficit to win, 8-7, when Brandon Huerta PI ’09 cranked a two-run homer over the left field fence.

“I was really surprised it went out, I was just trying to hit a fly ball and get a sac fly and it just kept going,” Huerta said. “I was just really excited.”

With at least 200 fans and scouts from the San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins in attendance, the Sagehens pulled out a gritty win that showed both talent and character.

The Sagehens held a narrow lead for most of the game. Starting pitcher David Colvin PI ’11 settled down after a rough first inning and shut out the Kingsmen through the middle innings. But in the top of the seventh inning, a three-run homer by Paul Hartmann gave the Kingsmen a 7-5 lead. Colvin exited after throwing for eight innings, allowing four earned runs and striking out four.

After falling behind, Pomona-Pitzer battled back. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Sagehens got runners on second and third bases with no outs after Andrew Nino ’09 dropped a crucial double just inches inside of the left field line. Then, James Campbell ’12 picked up an RBI off a fielder’s choice.

“We didn’t back down after they hit that home run to get up,” said coach Frank Pericolosi. “Guys stepped up. Campbell had a great at bat and he really got the job done.”

Campbell’s RBI brought up Huerta.

“The first pitch, he threw me a slider for a strike,” Huerta said afterwards. “On the second pitch, I was just looking for something I could lift. He threw a split-fingered fastball, and I got under it, and it carried.”

Still, P-P had to shut down Cal Lu in the top of the ninth in order to clinch the win. Coach Pericolosi brought in freshman reliever Leo Rosetti to seal the deal.

“I was just trying to go in there and throw strikes,” Rosetti said. “I was really nervous, my heart was jumping a lot. But I knew if I just let my defense do the work, we would get [the win], because they’ve been good all year.”

Rosetti induced a soft line drive, a pop-up, and a ground out to pick up the save.

The team is scheduled to play away in a doubleheader at Cal Lu on Saturday.

-- Nick Hubbard