JUNIOR COLLEGE BASEBALL / STATE CHAMPIONSHIP : Pierce’s Season Ends in Extra Innings

As pinch-runner Greg Sims of Sacramento City dashed across the plate to bring the best baseball season in Pierce College’s history to an abrupt end Sunday, the scene on the field spoke volumes about the emotion involved when a loss means the end of the season.

The entire Sacramento team poured onto the field at the Riverside Sports Complex as Sims scored the winning run on a wild pitch in an 8-7, 10-inning win over Pierce.

“Too emotional,” Sacramento Coach Jerry Weinstein said of the game, which marked the Panthers’ second extra-inning win over Pierce in as many days. “That takes a lot out of you mentally and physically.”

For the Pierce players, who were slow to leave the field, the sudden end came as a jolt.

“I’m not that emotional a guy (but) this really hits hard,” said Pierce sophomore first baseman Brian Smith, reflecting on a long day of baseball that saw Pierce fall a game short of reaching the state championship game.

Instead, Sacramento (34-4) and Fresno City will play for the championship beginning today at 11 a.m. Undefeated Fresno needs just one win to claim the title of the double-elimination tournament. Sacramento must win twice.

Pierce, which was making its first trip to the state tournament, ended its season third in the state with a 34-8-1 record.

The Brahmas opened the day with a 4-2 victory over Cuesta in a noon losers’ bracket game at Riverside College.

A little more than an hour later, Pierce was called on to try it again against Sacramento, which dropped an 8-3 winners’ bracket decision to Fresno earlier in the day.

The result was a hard-fought, 3 1/2-hour game that left both clubs spent.

Sacramento began its winning rally when Jason Moore singled to left. James Northeimer followed with another single to left that Josh Smaler bobbled for an error to put runners on second and third.

Pierce reliever Chris Brown, who recorded a save against Cuesta several hours earlier and was pitching in his third consecutive game, walked Josh Kirtlan intentionally to set up a force at the plate. But on an 0-2 pitch to Robert Perry, Brown bounced one past catcher Adam Pearlman to allow pinch-runner Sims to score.

“Maybe the game should not have got to that point,” Pierce Coach Bob Lofrano said, referring to four Pierce errors and the 12 baserunners his team stranded.

Trailing, 4-0, the Brahmas began a comeback with two runs in the fifth in a wild inning that featured two errors, three hits and a hidden ball trick that actually worked.

Pierce came back with five more runs in the sixth, keyed by another Sacramento error.

With two out and a runner on first, Pierce shortstop Herman Merchan looped a ball just inside the right-field line for a run-scoring triple.

Erik Martinez followed with a run-producing double off the wall in left, then scored moments later when Joey Arnold’s grounder to short was thrown into the Pierce dugout.

Jason Cohen (two hits, two RBIs) promptly lined another run-scoring double to right and Robby Welles capped the inning with a run-scoring single a batter later.

But Sacramento, last year’s state runner-up, managed to claw its way back with a run in the bottom of the sixth and two unearned runs in the seventh to tie the score at 7-7.

Pierce’s best opportunity to take the lead after that evaporated in the ninth when the Brahmas could not score despite having runners at second and third with one out against Panther reliever Lance Berger (6-0).