San Jac defeats Santa Fe to advance at JUCO World Series
GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado — San Jacinto College rode the strong arm of pitcher Jake Cowan and the home run bats of Brad Padia, Deric Hawkins, and Danny Hernandez to a 9-4 win over Santa Fe College in the second round of the JUCO World Series on Tuesday, May 26 in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Now, the stage is set for a Texas showdown. San Jac, the team with more JUCO appearances (20) and more JUCO championships (five) than any other team, will next face Howard College (Big Spring, Texas), the team that set a national record in the regular season this year by going undefeated with 57 wins. Howard finished the season ranked number one in the national poll, while San Jac ranked seventh.
With the win over Santa Fe, and a 7-1 win over Spartanburg Methodist College in the opening round, San Jac is now 2-0 in the tournament and will next facSan Jac defeats Santa Fe to advance at JUCO World Seriesoward, the only other undefeated team in the tournament, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27.
In Tuesday’s win over Santa Fe, Cowan pitched eight innings, limiting the Saints’ potent offense to two runs on fice hits. Before facing San Jac, Santa Fe was undefeated in the tournament and scored 27 runs in their two wins. San Jac’s dominant closer Chris Dickerson pitched the ninth inning, allowing two runs on two hits to preserve the win.
Offensive highlights for San Jac included a solo home run by third baseman Hernandez in the third inning, a two-run double by second baseman Ryan Still in the fifth inning, a solo home run by center fielder Hawkins and a two-run homer by designated hitter Padia in the seventh inning, and a solo round-tripper by Padia in the ninth.
San Jac’s nine runs came on 15 hits, and the team committed one error. Santa Fe scored its four runs on seven hits and they committed four errors.
San Jac’s head coach Tom Arrington likes the momentum the team has after two convincing wins over solid, talented teams. “As with other sports, momentum is important in baseball,” Arrington commented. “Our players have created momentum in each game by scoring runs and making key defensive plays in critical situations. A great pitching performance, such as we saw with Jake Cowan who had 15 strikeouts, can also give a team momentum. We’re hoping that momentum can carry over with our players.”
Even with the momentum, Arrington knows San Jac faces a worthy opponent in top-ranked Howard College. “That Howard team is very tough,” he remarked. “They are well-coached, very balanced, and they bring a lot to the game. We’re just going to come out and play the same way we have all year — do the best we can, and work hard to achieve our dream.”
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 athletics, please visit www.sanjacsports.com.
