JC BASEBALL REGIONAL : For Pierce, a Repeat Performance

The little guy came up with the big blow . . . again.

Pierce College second baseman Cesar Martinez clobbered a three-run home run to spark a four-run sixth inning that sent the Brahmas on their way to a 7-4 victory over Mt. San Antonio in a Southern California Regional game Friday at Pierce.

The Brahmas (26-16) lead the best-of-three series, 1-0. The second game will be played today at 11 a.m. at Pierce and a third game, if necessary, will follow. The winner advances to second-round action next weekend.

Mt. San Antonio (31-12) led, 4-2, after five innings behind right-hander Ed Hernandez.

Pierce scored one run in the second on Jeff Shapiro’s leadoff homer over the scoreboard in left field. John Novak knocked in Mike Glendenning with a single in the fourth inning for Pierce’s second run.

That was it for the Brahmas until things unraveled rapidly for Hernandez (4-6) in the sixth.

After Hernandez retired the first two batters of the inning on three pitches--both on line drives to center--Casey Cote, Dave Supple and Carlos Nunez strung together consecutive singles. Supple’s hit scored Cote from second base.

Martinez, a 5-foot-9 sophomore, then sent a 1-and-1 fastball over the left-field fence.

It was the second important homer for Martinez in two weeks. On April 27, he hit a grand slam that gave the Brahmas an 8-6 victory over Bakersfield in a game between co-leaders in the Western State Conference South Division. Pierce held its one-game lead for the rest of the season.

“All of a sudden, the hits started not only to fall, but to go over,” Pierce Coach Bob Lofrano said.

The Brahmas added an insurance run on an eighth-inning solo homer by Nunez, who was three for four. But Pierce right-hander Jason Warren, although surely appreciative, didn’t need the extra support.

Warren (6-4) struggled through the first four innings, allowing all six of the Mountie hits. But over the final five innings only one batter reached base. That was Alfredo Moreno, who opened the seventh with a walk but was erased on a double play moments later.

Behind Warren, the Brahmas made several fine defensive plays.

Center fielder Jeff Astgen cut down two potential extra-base hits with exceptional running catches in the second and third innings.

Astgen, who made seven putouts, turned the first catch into a double play when he flagged down a shot heading toward the right-center field gap and flipped the ball to right fielder John Novak, who fired to first baseman Nunez to cut down a baserunner.

“That was a big-league play,” Lofrano said.

Cote also made an outstanding running catch in left-center in the third, and Shapiro made three fine plays at shortstop--including an acrobatic throw from the hole to record the final out.

*

Defending state champion Cypress College broke a three-game losing streak by defeating Moorpark, 8-4, at Cypress.

Mike Cosgrove had five strikeouts and got 15 ground-ball outs for Cypress (31-13-1).

Five players each had one hit for Moorpark (27-14), which must beat Cypress twice today to advance to the State tournament.

A two-run single by Jeff Pickler broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth. Pickler, the son of Cypress Coach Scott Pickler, had three hits, including a triple, and three runs batted in.