Canyons Earns Share of WSC Title : Cougars Rally Past Pierce to Ninth Consecutive Championship

Ron Robart and Ernie Perez each hit two-run home runs and Gary Morgan added a solo homer to lead a six-run, seventh-inning rally that powered College of the Canyons’ past Pierce, 15-13, Monday.

The win gave the Cougars a share of their ninth consecutive Western State Conference baseball title.

Canyons collected 16 hits en route to its eighth consecutive win and a tie with Ventura atop the WSC standings. Both teams finished with 16-4 conference records.

Despite the tie for the title, Ventura is seeded first in the WSC’s Shaughnessy playoffs, which begin today, because it defeated the Cougars twice this season.

Canyons plays host to Moorpark at 2 today in its playoff opener while Valley plays host to Oxnard in the other first-round game. The winners of today’s games play Thursday for the right to meet Ventura in the championship game Saturday.

With Pierce leading, 10-9, Scott Roth hit a run-scoring single up the middle to drive in the tying run in the seventh and kick off the Cougars’ rally. Robart then slammed a two-run homer over the left-center-field fence. Morgan followed with a solo homer to left before Chris Joy walked and came home on Perez’s homer to left.

The visiting Brahmas (15-20, 8-12) picked up two runs on Scott Cadenhead’s home run over the right-field fence in the eighth. Pierce cut the Cougar lead to two in the ninth on Robert Weer’s double and Jeremy Lipton’s run-scoring single up the middle.

Reliever Brian Roth, the fifth Canyons’ pitcher, got Gerard Jordan to pop out to first then struck out Kevin Johnson to preserve the win for Leif Christoffersen (3-0).

Pierce starter Pete Dragaloski (6-5) suffered the loss.

The Brahmas collected 11 hits off the Cougars and succeeded in depleting an already overworked pitching staff.

“If you don’t have real good pitching against us, we are going to do that to you,” Pierce Coach Bob Lyons said.

Canyons Coach Len Mohney, who plans to start sophomore right-hander Jeff Frith-Smith today, said his staff will be ready for the playoffs.

“We used a lot of pitchers today and that’s a little scary, but nobody threw all that many pitches,” Mohney said. “This is not a real fun way to play, always having to come from behind, but I think that’s what makes the character of this team.”

Canyons (23-12) had four home runs, including Joy’s two-run shot over the right-center-field fence in the first.

Besides Cadenhead’s blast, Doug Johus also homered for Pierce, hitting a three-run shot in a six-run third inning.