NEW PORT RICHEY - For the second time this season, Pasco-Hernando Community College has reeled off a five-game winning streak.
The Conquistadors attempted to extend their streak to six late Monday at South Florida Community College in Avon Park.
PHCC (17-15, 7-5 in the Suncoast Conference) is coming off back-to-back wins over South Florida CC.
PHCC coach Steve Winterling attributed his team's latest stretch to "good starting pitching.
"They're throwing the off-speed stuff for strikes and spotting the fastball."
Ryan Williams is 2-0 since moving into the rotation recently. The left-hander earned his second win Saturday as PHCC beat South Florida CC 13-7. Williams also won the first game of the streak, 7-2 over St. Petersburg College on March 21.
Bobby Sindelar (5-1), a left-hander from Springstead who leads the team in wins, earned victories as a reliever in Wednesday's 4-3 win over Hillsborough CC and Friday's 11-8 win over South Florida CC.
Left-hander Ronnie Lowe (Ridgewood) has two saves in the past five games.
The Conquistadors, who lost five straight before the current streak, won five consecutive games Feb. 25-March 6.
Before the 13-7 win over South Florida CC, PHCC needed ninth-inning comebacks to beat Hillsborough CC 4-3 and South Florida CC 11-8.
Hillsborough broke a 2-2 tie with a run in the top of the ninth, but Orlando Rosales (Pasco) led off the bottom of that inning with a tying home run.
Then Victor Roldan (Land O'Lakes) doubled but pulled a hamstring and left the game for pinch-runner Arcelio Bravo. Robert Yero singled and Bravo scored the winner on an outfield error.
PHCC scored four runs in its last at-bat to overcome an 8-7 deficit against South Florida CC. Lee Cruz (Pasco), PHCC's leading hitter with a .376 average, hit a two-run double with Rosales and Yero adding run-scoring singles to clinch it.
"They fight hard," Winterling said. "They never give up, even when we're not playing well."
PHCC is tied for third in the conference with SPC (8-6 in the conference). Polk CC is atop the conference standings at 9-5, followed by Manatee CC (8-5).
"It's definitely a balanced conference," Winterling said.
About his team's chances to win the conference, Winterling said, "We've got the pitching to do it."
PHCC's pitching staff has a 3.44 earned-run average.
[Last modified April 1, 2003, 05:26:38]
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