PCC’s Quire Delivers Again In 8-6 Baseball Win Over Mt. San Antonio College

Sophomore first baseman Joe Quire broke a 6-6 tie with a 2-RBI single in the seventh inning Thursday as the Pasadena City College baseball team downed Mt. San Antonio, 8-6, in a South Coast Conference game at Brookside Park’s Jackie Robinson Memorial Field.

PCC improved to 12-20 and 6-11 in SCC play, winning for the fourth time in its last five conference games under second-year head coach Pat McGee. It’s the first time a Pasadena team won as many as 12 games in 10 years. The 2006 team won 18 games.

The Lancers led 4-2 before Mt. SAC went ahead, 6-4, on a grand slam by Esteban Ortega in the in the fifth inning. In the seventh, frosh second baseman Paul Christian singled in a run to tie it 6-6. With the bases loaded and one out, Quire stroked what would be the game-winning hit into right field, scoring Christian and first-year leftfielder Rudy Canal.

Quire led a 15-hit attack with three hits while freshman third baseman Sean Fassler (two RBI, double) and catcher Justin Cage (double) also added three hits a piece.

Sophomore reliever Eddie Gutierrez (3-2 recorda) earned the mound win as he pitched three innings of 1-hit shutout ball and three strikeouts. Second-year closer Anthony Mizrahi picked up his second save with 1.2 scoreless innings.

Quire is third in the SCC batting race with a .407 conference-only average.

The rubber match of the 3-game series between PCC and the Mounties resumes Saturday, April 23 at 12:00 noon in Walnut.