As the shadows slowly spread across the infield in the early evening at Raiders Stadium on Thursday, Pierce College survived a ninth-inning Moorpark threat, and adding insult to injury, went on to win the game 5-4 in 11th innings.

Freshman Blake Chiaramonte’s bases-loaded hit tied the game 4-4 in the ninth, but the Raiders squandered a golden opportunity to buck the Brahmas with only one out in the inning. Working the count full, centerfielder Jesse Aucelluzzo was called out on a ball that looked low, and it was deja vu all over again for Moorpark.

“The pitcher threw a fastball down and I thought it was clearly a ball,” Aucelluzzo said bitterly. “It was a late call. I dropped my bat and started to go to first before [the umpire] called ‘strike three.’”

Pierce struck early with two runs in the first inning. Infielder Charles Steel started the game with a base hit and stole second on a wild pitch. He reached third on a bunt out and scored on a safe call at first base. With two outs, a base hit by Tyler Eastman drove home the second run from third.

“I’m tired of losing games like this that we should win,” head coach Mario Porto said. “The bases are loaded with one out and you don’t get it done; that’s our fault. We didn’t hit like we normally do. We didn’t make the [necessary] adjustments.”

Moorpark answered with a run in the fifth inning. Freshman Jack Rosenberg’s base hit put a runner in scoring position. With two outs and runners at second and third, Garrett Kueber’s RBI base hit drove in the Raiders first run, but Rosenberg was out on a close play at the plate.

“I pitched six innings and gave up three runs, one [of which] was unearned,” Moorpark starter Jake Eaton said. I didn’t quite have my stuff today, but I was able to get hitters out with my fastball.”

Rosenberg’s dramatic two-run homerun just over the wall in left-center in the bottom of the seventh inning tied the game 3-3 after the Brahmas took a 3-1 lead in the sixth.

“I was just trying to get that run in, and he threw a pitch that I could hit,” said the 6’3”, 230 lb., 18 year-old graduate from Thousand Oaks High. “I just got the bat on it and it went out. I had two hits today. I’m proud of our team and we’ll keep battling.”

Pierce took the lead for a good 5-4 in the top of the 11th inning. Catcher Brenden Lavallee stretched a single into a double and with one out, a fly ball out to center drove home the eventual winning run.

“A loss like this stings,” said freshman John Cashman, who pitched five innings in relief and got the loss. “I could’ve done a little better keeping the ball down. It’s a game of inches.”

Moorpark plays at Ventura College, Tuesday at 2 p.m., and the second leg of the series against Ventura at Raider Stadium, Thursday at 2 p.m. Check the CCCAA sports website for results and statistics.