Unlikely Hero Lifts Pierce, 8-6

For someone who has played so seldom this season that he almost has to be given directions to the plate, Edgar Maldonado certainly was not awe-struck once he got there.

Maldonado lined a two-run double off the left-center-field fence with two out in the ninth to give Pierce College an 8-6 victory over Valley in a pivotal Western State Conference game Saturday at Valley.

The Brahmas (21-13, 18-9 in conference play) pulled within a half-game of second-place Valley (20-14, 19-9). Pierce has three games left and Valley two.

Canyons clinched the title Saturday.

“I told (my team) this was as good a game as you can take part in,” Pierce Coach Bob Lofrano said.

That it was.

Valley took a 6-5 lead in the eighth on a run-scoring single by catcher Anthony Paschia and a two-run double by Steve Knezevich.

But Pierce, which swept Valley in three games this season, scored three runs in the ninth for its seventh victory in the last eight games.

With one out, reliever Juan Velazquez (2-3) walked Herman Merchan and Jason Cohen. Right-hander Jason Vargas replaced Velazquez and got cleanup hitter Josh Smaler on a long fly to right field that moved Merchan to third. Vargas then uncorked a wild pitch with Louis Tapia at the plate that scored Merchan to tie the score, 6-6, and moved Cohen to second.

Tapia singled to center, with Cohen stopping at third. That set the stage for Maldonado, who ripped a three-and-one pitch.

“Man, it felt good,” Maldonado said. “I was pretty happy when I saw that (wild pitch). They were going to pinch-hit for me if we hadn’t tied the score.”

Maldonado had entered the game on a double-switch when Lofrano sent shortstop Bryan Corey (1-1) to replace reliever Chris Frith-Smith with two out in the eighth.

“Maldonado probably has had one at-bat in the last two months,” Lofrano said.

Pierce took an early lead on a three-run home run by Smaler in the first.