Bottoms Up for Glendale

It was the bottom of the order that put the Glendale College baseball team over the top.

The bottom three batters combined for nine hits and 10 runs batted in to lead Glendale to an 18-5 victory over Pierce in a matchup of the top teams in the Western State Conference Southern Division on Thursday at Pierce.

Tom Rochin, the No. 7 hitter, had four hits and two RBIs.

Glendale (25-8, 14-4 in conference play) has a two-game lead over Pierce (21-12, 12-6).

The Vaqueros produced 20 hits and shelled starter Jesse Kozlowski (5-2) of Pierce for 11 runs in four innings.

Rochin, a sophomore designated hitter, hit a two-run home run in a four-run fifth inning.

Brandon Bell, Glendale’s No. 8 hitter, had a three-run double in the four-run third inning and had three hits and four RBIs.

Catcher Ryan Noll, the No. 9 hitter, hit a three-run double in the sixth and had two hits and four RBIs.

“This team is a mystery sometimes,” Glendale Coach Jon Strauss said. “We haven’t been swinging the bats, and 20 hits would be the last thing you would expect against a pitching staff like Pierce has.”

Rochin, who is nine for 12 in a three-game span, sparked the outburst.

“The ball looks like a watermelon right now,” Rochin said. “I feel like I can’t miss.”

Each Glendale starter had at least one hit in support of Kevin Welch (6-2), who scattered seven hits and three earned runs over seven innings.

But it was the production of the bottom of the order that pleased Strauss.

“That’s the story of the game,” Strauss said. “Those guys are very good hitters.”