Pierce Gets Offensive in Defense of Title, 20-9

When the suspense pretty much vanished after seven innings, the only thing left to see was if Mike Glendenning and Carlos Nunez could go deep again.

There really was no other reason to stick around for the end of Pierce College’s 20-9 rout of Valley in a Western State Conference baseball game Saturday at Pierce.

Glendenning and Nunez each hit two home runs and Casey Doherty added one as the Brahmas (27-10, 17-6 in conference play) pounded five pitchers for 19 hits and remained tied with Canyons for first place in the South Division.

The Brahmas, who have won 17 of 19 games and seven consecutive in conference action, travel to Canyons on Tuesday. Each team has three games remaining.

“Today you saw us maybe at our best offensively,” said Bob Lofrano, Pierce coach.

Pierce, making a run at its second consecutive division title, got to Valley’s Taiki Yamaoka (5-7) in the first on Glendenning’s towering two-run blast over the left-center-field fence, and finally chased him after four innings and a 9-4 lead.

Nunez provided the big blow in a four-run second with a three-run homer to left after Valley (14-25, 10-13) elected to walk Glendenning with two out.

“That kind of [upset] me,” said Nunez, a sophomore first baseman from Reseda High. “They thought I was going to be an easy out.”

Glendenning, a sophomore third baseman from Crespi, teed off against Yamaoka again in the fourth, this time with a long three-run shot to left.

It was his 16th home run, establishing a school single-season record, and his WSC-leading 14th.

“Those guys are on a roll, especially Mike Glendenning,” said Chris Johnson, Valley coach. “As much as I don’t like being at the wrong end of a 20-9 game, I’m happy for him.”

Nunez hammered his second homer and third of the season in a nine-run seventh inning that put the game out of reach. The two-run drive to left field came off reliever Greg Norlie.

Glendenning, who bats third, singled ahead of Nunez to drive in a run. He knocked in seven runs, giving him 57 this season, 42 in conference play. Nunez, who doubled in his second at-bat of the seventh, drove in six runs.

Doherty’s home run came with two aboard in the seventh.

“We had a four-game week and we had no pitching left,” Johnson said.

One of those games was a 10-3 loss to Pierce on Monday in a makeup of a rained-out game.

Yamaoka, a freshman right-hander from Japan, gave up nine hits and nine runs, all earned, in four innings.

Pierce starter Josh Morgan, a left-handed freshman, worked 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs and nine hits.

He was replaced by sidearmer Carter Kerzner (2-0), who yielded one run in 2 1/3 innings.

Valley shortstop Ron Pirayoff was four for five and center fielder Chris Portugal was three for four. Steve Zorn had a double for the Monarchs and Javier Dorado belted a triple.

Pierce closer Harry Kenoi appeared in his 19th consecutive game, pitching a scoreless ninth inning.