Hancock baseball takes down Grossmont, advances to first Super Regional in 12 years | Allan Hancock

The Allan Hancock baseball team rushed out of their dugout out with smiles as wide as the baseball diamond.

It didn’t matter they had just played a total of four consecutive games in three days.

A win against Grossmont College on Sunday was all that was needed for the Bulldogs to move onto the CCCAA Super Regional.

“This feels great,” Hancock baseball coach Chris Stevens said. “Winning a double elimination bracket like this is challenging. Grossmont is a really good team.”

Allan Hancock second baseman Chase Wise hits the ball during a college baseball game in the CCCAA Southern California Regionals against Grossmont Sunday at John Osborne Field.

Ryan Kuhn

It has been 12 years since the Bulldogs took the Super Regional stage. The team was swept by Orange Coast College in 2014.

But the road back wasn’t easy.

After defeating Grossmont one day earlier, Hancock had to win one of the next two games against the Griffins to advance.

After losing 7-5 in the first game, the Bulldogs came back to win the second game by a score of 6-3.

“This team has a lot of belief in themselves,” Stevens said. “They don’t panic.”

Hancock sure didn’t want to force a decisive game five. It even took an early lead to start Sunday morning’s game when freshman second baseman Chase Wise doubled to center field to score Jacob McMillian.

The lead didn’t last long as the Griffins scored four runs in the top of the third inning that included Justin Heffler hitting a 3-run home run over the left field wall.

“It was a fastball, waste high,” Hancock pitcher Ryan Cronk said.

Grossmont added three more runs in the seventh inning but the Bulldogs would not lay down quietly.

Allan Hancock outfielder Granite Seibt celebrates with his teammates after hitting a grand slam during a college baseball game in the CCCAA Southern California Regionals against Grossmont Sunday.

Ryan Kuhn

After Trent Martin walked and Braden Oliver and La’akea Ko singled to load the bases, freshman outfielder Granite Seibt launched a grand slam to clear the bases. It was his second home run of the year.

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The Bulldogs brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning but a fly out ended the game.

“We had some guys pressing in the lineup during that first game, trying to do a little bit too much and it caught up with us,” Stevens said.

With Grossmont gaining the momentum following the win, the Griffins quickly took the lead in the second game when outfielder Drew Frost walked and came around to score after stealing second and a pair of pickoff errors allowed him to come home.

Hancock sophomore pitcher Trevor Jure settled down for a couple of inning but the Griffins extended their lead when Talon Tucker hit a hometown to put Grossmont ahead 3-0 in the top of the fourth.

“The pitch was in the right location,” Jure said. “It was supposed to be down and in but he just hit it.”

But Hancock’s offense had its pitcher’s back.

The Bulldogs scored twice in the bottom of the fourth inning, and then three more runs in the fifth to take the lead.

“I changed my approach,” said Bulldogs first baseman Parker Schwake, who finished the second game 2-for-2 with an RBI and a stolen base. “I shortened up my swing by breaking it down by the basics.”

Jure pitched seven full innings giving up three runs on five hits and striking out three. He worked out of a two-out jam in the seventh inning that got Frost to ground out, ending the inning.

Sophomore Hunter Beck pitched the last two innings to record the save.

“I just wanted (to finish) so badly,” said Jure afterwards, “He was not taking the rock out of my hands.”

Hancock now looks towards a local matchup in the Super Regional when it hosts a three-game series against Santa Barbara City.

The Bulldogs split a four-game series with their conference rivals this season, and the players know what exactly is at stake. A win guarantees them a spot in the SoCal Finals where the winner of that heads to the State Tournament.

“Both teams don’t really like each other but it’s going to be a great matchup,” Jure said. “It’s going to come down to who wants it more.”

Hancock baseball takes down Grossmont, advances to first Super Regional in 12 years