San Jac defeats Spartanburg to advance at JUCO World Series

GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado - San Jacinto College came up a little short, losing 12-11 in a seesaw slugfest against top-ranked Howard College in the third round of the JUCO World Series on Wednesday, May 27 in Grand Junction, Colorado.

On offense, San Jac was led by third baseman Danny Hernandez, who went three for four with one RBI. Center fielder Deric Hawkins went four for five with three runs batted in. Right fielder Jeff Abt went one for three, and his one hit nearly turned the game around for San Jac. He launched a majestic, two-run home run over the center field fence in the bottom of the ninth inning to bring the score to 12-11 with no outs. Hernandez followed with a single to center field, but Hawkins, second baseman Ryan Still, and left fielder Steven Vidaurri went down in order and left Hernandez stranded at first.

San Jac used four pitchers - starter David Rollins, and relievers Sean Nolin, Dylan Adamek, and Chris Dickerson - and all of them were roughed up by Howard's hitters. Rollins allowed eight hits and six runs, Nolin allowed four hits and three runs, Adamek allowed no hits and two runs, and Dickerson allowed two hits and one run.

San Jac will next face Santa Fe College on Thursday, May 28 at 4 p.m. Central time. San Jac defeated Santa Fe 9-4 on Tuesday, and must beat them again to advance to the next round of the tournament. There are now four teams left in the tournament. Howard College is the only undefeated team with a 3-0 record. San Jac, Santa Fe, and Western Nevada College all have 2-1 records.

San Jac's head coach Tom Arrington was understandably unhappy about the poor pitching performance. "We just did not execute well on the mound," he commented. "Our pitchers too often pitched behind in the count, and walked too many guys and allowed Howard to put up big-run innings in the third and in the sixth. You allow those big innings like that and there's no way to come back."

Nevertheless, San Jac has not been eliminated and Arrington said it's time to focus on making adjustments.

"I was proud of our guys, the way they swung the bats and battled back," he remarked. "Several times we were a hit away from getting right back in the game. But, it turned into a slugfest, and I was hoping it would be a pitchers' duel. I was very proud of our defense. I don't think we've made an error yet through the entire tournament. They've been very focused out there. We just need to make a few adjustments and dominate on the mound, which will allow our hitters to put up more runs so we can win."

Despite the heart-breaking loss, San Jac players held their heads up and were not discouraged after the game. "This has been a resilient team all season," commented Abt. "We did not have a home field all year and we're used to overcoming obstacles. We're going to make adjustments and come back and win this tournament."

The double-elimination tournament runs through May 30. For a complete tournament bracket and to follow San Jac through its national title run, visit www.jucogj.org. San Jac games can be heard at www.tsrnsports.com.

San Jacinto College serves more than 24,500 students in over 140 degrees and certificates in university transfer and technical programs. The College also serves the community through workforce training. Students come with various goals and aspirations and we are committed to their success. San Jacinto College. Your Goals.Your College.

For more information about San Jacinto College, please call 281-998-6150 or visit www.sanjac.edu.