Warriors Offense Erupts Early to Take Opener Against Pasadena

TORRANCE, Calif. --- El Camino College jumped out to a big lead early and never looked back to score a 7-1 South Coast Conference victory over visiting Pasadena on Tuesday afternoon at Warrior Field.

The Warriors (26-9, 14-5) pulled even in the conference standings with the Lancers (26-9, 14-5) as the regular season is down to the final two weeks of conference action. Both teams are locked in a three-way tie for second place in the conference with Long Beach with Mount San Antonio at the top of the standings by one game after Tuesday.

Julio Camarena and Dylan Knowles set the tempo for the Warriors' offense at the top of the lineup as they each went 3-for-5 at the dish. Camarena had a double and scored twice while Knowles hit a three-run triple in the second inning while also scoring a run.

Jonah Storey went 2-for-4 while four other Warriors recorded hits.

On the bump, Thomas Bainton continued his outstanding 2022 season as he pushed his record to 9-1 on the season. He went eight innings and scattered five hits. He allowed one unearned run, walked two and struck out a career high 11 batters. It was his second career game with double-digit strikeouts with the other coming on March 22 against L.A. Harbor. He also lowered his ERA from 1.91 entering the game to 1.74.

The Warriors essentially put the game away in the second inning as they scored six times and sent 11 hitters to the plate against Lancers starter Jakob Guardado. Storey opened the frame with a single and, after a lineout, Jake Harper reached on an error at third base. Things snowballed from there as Camarena singled to load the bases and then Knowles tripled to the wall in left-center to clear the bases and put the Warriors up 3-0. Ben Griffin hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0 but that didn't stop the Warriors offense as Daniel Murrillo reached after he was hit by a pitch and then Ethan Felix singled to put another runner in scoring position.

Theo Forshey singled in Murillo and advanced Felix to third, who would come in to score on another Lancers error on Storey's second at-bat of the frame to cap the scoring in the inning and put the Warriors up 6-0.

The Lancers got one run back on a wild pitch in the third inning but Bainton would shut the Pasadena offense down from there. He allowed just four hits from the fourth inning on, all of them singles.

The teams will face off again on Thursday afternoon as the scene shifts to Jackie Robinson Field at Brookside Park. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m.