Baseball Drops Series Opener to Pasadena

TORRANCE, Calif. --- El Camino College dropped a 4-2 South Coast Conference contest to visiting Pasadena on Tuesday afternoon at Warrior Field.

The Warriors (9-7, 2-2) managed just five hits in the game and were held hitless in the final two frames against the Lancers (10-5, 3-1).

Patrick Stark led the team with two hits and a run scored while Juan Carlos Camarena and Jake Harper contributed the RBI hits for ECC in the loss.

Three Warriors pitchers combined to allow four runs on six hits while walking 13 batters and striking out 10.

For the Lancers, Patrick Garcia picked up the win in relief with Ben Griffith picking up his first save of the year. Jakob Guardado was 1-for-2 with two walks and the biggest hit of the game, an RBI double in the eighth to break a 2-2 tie.

The game was close throughout and offense was at a premium as each team had two runs on three hits through six innings.

The Lancers opened up the scoring in the third inning without the benefit of an RBI hit. Pasadena loaded the bases with a leadoff double, a walk and a bunt single off ECC reliever Jason Davis.

But the Warriors' right-hander battled back to strike out Matt Rice swinging and then froze Damien Ureta for another strikeout and Davis was almost out of trouble.

But he hit Tommy Castillo on the first pitch of the next at bat to open the scoring and then walked Jaden Guzman to put Pasadena up 2-0 before a fielder's choice ended the frame.

It stayed that way until the fifth when the Warriors finally strung some hits together. Stark reached on an error and then Camarena quickly brought him home on a double down the left-field line to cut the deficit in half.

With two outs, Harper roped a single to center to bring in the Warriors' catcher from second to tie things up.

The game remained tied until the eighth inning when, with runners on first and second and two outs, Guardado sliced a double to left to score the go-ahead run. The Lancers would add insurance in the ninth and Griffith retired six of the seven Warriors he faced to get the save.

The two teams are scheduled to meet for game two of the series on Thursday at Pasadena, weather and field conditions permitting. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.