Glendale college baseball secures second consecutive conference title
GLENDALE — The success of the Glendale Community College baseball program reached another level Tuesday at Stengel Field.
The Vaqueros needed a win to clinch the Western Conference East Division and become back-to-back conference champions. The opportunity came in a home game against Victor Valley.
Glendale hammered out 14 hits and scored six runs in the fourth inning to win, 12-6, and clinch the program’s seventh conference title since 2011.
“It’s been that kind of year where guys pick each other up,” said Glendale coach Alex Kocol, whose team secured the title wit two games remaining. “I’m so happy for the sophomore class. Those guys have been persistent. The guys that we recruited were really wired for this that came here in the sophomore class really delivered.
“Back-to-back conference champions — I’m really happy for those guys. They’ve worked hard and they’ve picked each other up, so that’s our midterm.”
Glendale (25-13, 14-4 in the division) held a one-run lead against Victor Valley (12-25, 3-15) after the Rams launched a three-run home run in the top of the fourth inning, 5-4
In the bottom of the fourth, however, Vaqueros third baseman Hans Seo and first baseman Casey Slattery both hit two-run scoring doubles to plate four runs in a six-run inning to lead, 9-4.
A pair of throwing errors scored two more Vaqueros to make it an 11-6 lead.
“Guys were able to put a few good at-bats together,” Kocol said. “We put a few away, but we’ve been like that all year. I think this group likes to hit.
“We played defense great. I thought our defense was fantastic, and I think that if we continue to hit and play defense, I think we’ll find ways to pick the pitchers off. Those guys are going to get better.”
Slattery drove in three runs on two hits, while Seo brought home a pair of runs on a pair of hits. Vaqueros shortstop and St. Francis High graduate Christian Muro also collected two hits and two runs batted in.
“I think we’re just seeing pitches well right now,” said Slattery, who leads the Vaqueros in runs batted in. “We got everybody, one through nine, contributing, even the bench guys. I think we bought into the approach and I think if we stick with it, the sky’s the limit.
“We’re kind of changing things pitch by pitch. Kocol is the wizard. I think we just bought into his approach and we’re just ‘seeing the ball, hitting the ball.’ It’s as simple as that.”
Glendale rotated through four pitchers, with starting pitcher Gerardo Ramirez going 3 2/3 innings, giving up five hits, four runs, three walks with four strikeouts. Edgardo Montanez relieved Ramirez for 1/3 of an inning to get out of a jam in the fourth.
Guillermo Pinedo threw three innings and surrendered six hits and two runs, while Kevin Holcomb pitched two innings to close things out, notching two strikeouts and retiring the side in the ninth inning.
“It means everything,” said Slattery on winning the title. “What I do here, right now, is important, but what I leave behind is too. I think everybody is like that. We want to have success, but continued success. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing.”
The Vaqueros opened the scoring in the first with a one-out RBI-double from right fielder and St. Francis graduate Brandon Lewis for a 1-0 lead. Slattery made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly that scored Seo.
Glendale added three runs at the bottom of the second for a 5-0 lead on a run-scoring single from center fielder Tom Tabak and a one-out single from Muro. The Vaqueros capped the second-inning when a with a run on a throwing error from first to second base.
The Rams battled right back to cut the advantage to 5-4 in the fourth on a three-run home run from Santos Hunter (four RBI).
Though Victor Valley scored two runs at the top of the fifth, Glendale shut the visitors out in the final three innings, while Muro added another run at the bottom of the seventh on a one-out RBI-double to make it 12-6.
Twitter: @ReporterVince