Pham’s Power Surge Unplugs Pierce, 14-2

John Pham hit two home runs and drove in six runs to power Harbor College past Pierce, 14-2, in the third and final game of the Junior College Southern California regional baseball playoffs Saturday at Harbor.

Pham did not hit a home run this season until he hit three in the series against Pierce, including a two-run homer in the sixth inning and a three-run shot in the eighth of the third game.

“I guess if you’re going to hit home runs, now is the best time to do it,” Harbor Coach Tony Bloomfield said.

Pierce won the first game on Saturday, 4-3, and opened the decisive game with three straight hits to load the bases.

But the Brahmas (24-17) failed to score when shortstop Josh Harris was thrown out at home and Jack Hawley (3-2) struck out Jared Hertz.

Harbor (29-15) jumped all over Derek Morse (4-5) in its half of the inning, scoring four runs, three on Miguel Gallardo’s 16th home run.

“That took the wind out of our sails,” Pierce left fielder Micah Berger said. “We were really pumped up after winning the first game [of the day], and then we had a really good chance to take an early lead in this one.

“I guess it just wasn’t to be.”

Berger hit his fifth home run in the second inning, but the Seahawks answered with three runs and Hawley allowed just two hits in the last seven innings.

Morse gave up 11 hits and 11 runs, six of them earned, and struck out four in six innings.

Pierce committed four errors, all leading to Seahawk runs.

“We didn’t play our best game, obviously,” said Barry Zito of Pierce, who pitched well despite losing the series opener, 3-2, on Friday.

“We only have five pitchers so we knew it would be tough to win games back-to-back.”

In the first game Saturday, freshman left-hander Barry Matthews (6-4) allowed just six hits and had 10 strikeouts for Pierce.

Matthews struck out seven of the last 13 Seahawk batters.

“This is a tough place to have to win one game, let alone two,” Pierce Coach Bob Lofrano said.

“But Matthews had awesome control and we came up with the key hits in that game.”

Brian Menkin scored the winning run on a double by Harris in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Matthews, who had three hits, singled in the third and scored on Berger’s two-run double, which gave Pierce a 3-2 lead.

“We had the momentum going into the third game so I really wasn’t expecting a letdown,” Lofrano said.

“But you have to take it one game at a time. We battled them hard every game, they are just a good team.”