Pierce, Ventura Vie for WSC Championship : College baseball: Brahmas lead Pirates by one game entering the regular-season finale.

Pierce and Ventura colleges will square off at 1 p.m. today at Pierce in their regular-season finales with the Western State Conference baseball title on the line.

Pierce (27-6, 15-4 in WSC play) clinched a share of the title and a berth in the state regional playoffs by defeating Glendale, 9-4, on Thursday. But Ventura (23-12, 14-5), which beat the Brahmas on April 3, can finish as the co-champion and earn a regional playoff berth with a victory. By virtue of its earlier win over the Brahmas, Ventura is seeking to become the WSC’s No. 1 representative and secure the home field for its regional opener.

Ventura was expected to finish in the middle of the pack but surpassed expectations behind its strong pitching staff and solid defense. Ventura yields a conference-low 3.9 runs per game, thanks in part to a steady defense anchored by shortstop Kwinn Knight, who has committed only one error.

“We’re just glad to be here,” Ventura Coach Gary Anglin said. “We’re the team nobody picked to be in this position.”

Defending conference co-champion Pierce, by contrast, thrived behind its powerful hitting lineup. The Brahmas lead the conference in batting average (.335) and hold the top three positions in runs batted in--Robby Welles (25), Brian Smith (22) and Jason Cohen (20).

Win or lose, Pierce has two weeks to prepare for the regional opener May 8. A win for Ventura means it will not have to play in next week’s conference tournament. In this scenario, the tournament would determine the conference’s nominee for one of four at-large berths.