Pierce Wins 1st WSC Title in Baseball : Junior colleges: Banuelos’ grand slam helps Brahmas beat Ventura, 11-4, and tie Cuesta for conference championship.

Gary Anglin, the Ventura College baseball coach, tried to use his bullpen Saturday but there was no containing the Brahmas.

Visiting Pierce knocked out several late-inning, extra-base hits--highlighted by Ricky Banuelos’ inside-the-park grand slam--to win, 11-4, in a Western State Conference finale.

After recording the last out, the Brahmas clustered on the field in triumph and celebrated the school’s first WSC baseball title, a co-championship with Cuesta. Pierce won 10 of its past 11 games.

Both teams finished 14-6 in conference play. Pierce (21-12 overall) will skip the WSC’s Shaughnessy playoffs, receiving the conference’s top seeding in the Southern California regional by virtue of its split with Cuesta and sweep of third-place Canyons.

Pierce’s last conference championship was the 1975 Metro Conference title, and it won this year’s title in co-Coach Bob Lofrano’s second season at the school.

“It’s really gratifying to come over to Pierce and to help in a turnaround,” said Lofrano, who formerly coached the highly successful program at Chatsworth High. “It’s been the most enjoyable year I’ve had.”

Ventura (25-13, 10-10) finished sixth in the conference and will open the Shaughnessy playoffs Tuesday against host Canyons.

Pierce came from behind to win three games this week. The Brahmas trailed Canyons by six runs on Tuesday, Glendale by five runs on Thursday and Ventura by four runs Saturday.

“You hate to play catch-up,” Lofrano said. “It will catch up with you eventually.”

Ventura starter Andy Moffat held Pierce hitless for the first three innings and allowed only one hit in the first five. Tim Cornish’s inside-the-park solo home run to center staked Ventura to a 4-0 lead after five innings.

Pierce closed the gap with a pair of runs in the sixth. Mike Vanacore scored when Carl McFadden’s single eluded Ventura right fielder Steve Philbrook, and Joe Arnold scored on Pat Huston’s ground out to make it 4-2.

In the eighth, Pierce knocked Moffat out of the game, and Anglin went to his bullpen with disastrous results--Pierce scored nine runs in the final two innings.

“Our old nemesis came back to haunt us,” Anglin said of his bullpen.

Huston had doubled in a run, and Jim Wolf had knocked in the tying run with a single when Banuelos stepped to the plate with two out and the bases loaded. Banuelos twice had struck out looking, and Ventura’s plan was to continue to jam him with inside pitches.

Eric Raba, pitching in relief of Moffat, let the ball drift over the middle of the plate, though, and Banuelos lashed a line drive just left of dead-center field. The fence in center is 476 feet from home plate, and the Ventura outfield slopes up near the fence. Banuelos’ shot rolled up the incline and skittered along the fence and deeper into center.

“I didn’t even look,” Anglin said. “I was writing ‘HR, 8.’ ”

Banuelos sped around the bases with his first home run of the season and his third game-winning hit in conference play.

“Is there any reason why he was an integral part of the Woodland Hills West’s (American Legion) World Series champion team?” Lofrano said. “He’s a winner.”

Huston, who had two doubles and three runs batted in, drove in another run in the ninth as did McFadden and Glenn Nahmias.

All but one Pierce starter hit safely. Joe Arnold had three hits and scored three runs. Juan Soriano (3-0) relieved starter Travis Arsenault and earned the victory.

Raba (3-4) took the loss. Dan Madsen, Darrell McMillin and Cornish each had two hits for Ventura.

FINAL WSC STANDINGS

School Won Lost GB PCT Pierce* 14 6 - .700 Cuesta* 14 6 - .700 Canyons 13 7 1 .650 Glendale 12 8 2 .667 Oxnard 12 8 2 .667 Ventura 10 10 4 .500 S. Barbara 9 11 5 .450 S. Monica 7 13 7 .350 Bakersfield 7 13 7 .350 Moorpark 7 13 7 .350 Valley 5 15 9 .250

*denotes automatic qualifiers for Southern Calif.

regional tournament