Published: Friday, Apr. 03, 2009

Updated: Friday, Apr. 03, 2009

Miracle on grass: Lancers beat Pirates

MCC’s junior college kids beat Pittsburgh for first time in 11 tries

BRADENTON — Nick Graham jockeyed toward the left-field foul line, his eyes never diverting from the ball soaring through the humidity hanging over McKechnie Field.

Fair or foul?

Graham wasn’t sure. So with his Manatee Community College Lancers on the cusp of an historic win and two runners on in the bottom of the ninth, Graham sprawled to his right, made the catch and tumbled forward.

Then he popped up, and with a major-league size mile, joined the celebration.

The Lancers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 on Thursday, winning the annual charity game for the first time in 11 tries.

“I had to lay out for it. Two outs, the runners were running — the guy on first probably would have scored if I would have missed it,” said Graham, a Bayshore graduate. “I was so ecstatic — it was awesome.”

Parents and fans snapped pictures of the scoreboard while the Lancers exchanged high-fives and hugs outside of the third-base dugout, toasting yet another memorable moment for MCC’s tradition-rich baseball program.

“That’s why they play 162 games — anybody can beat anybody,” said MCC second baseman Derek Luciano.

“As long as you play well and put the at-bats together. We knew we had a chance.”

A Manatee graduate taking his game to UCF next season, Luciano sparkled Thursday afternoon.

He came within a home run of hitting for the cycle, drove in four runs and put the Lancers — down 4-1 after three innings — up for good when he stroked a two-out, two-run double in the top of the sixth.

He didn’t stop there.

With MCC clinging to a 5-4 lead in the ninth, Luciano led off the inning with a triple and scored when Nate Davis dropped a soft single over the Pirates’ drawn in infield.

“I picture it in my mind before the game starts — how I’m going to bat, what pitches I’m going to swing at,” Luciano said.

The Pirates sent their major leaguers 12 miles south for Thursday’s game against the Reds, choosing to throw a minor-league lineup against the Lancers.

But top prospects such as Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata and Neil Walker played, and starting pitcher Virgil Vasquez nearly made Pittsburgh’s rotation. MCC scored three earned runs on five hits off Vasquez in 4 2/3 innings.

“We’re a junior college, they’re professionals,” said MCC coach Tim Hill. “I think it’s a very big accomplishment. Not to take anything away from their guys, but they do that for a living . . . and we’re not used to seeing the type of pitchers we saw, and this was the first time our guys used wooden bats.

“I thought the kids did a great job against some great personnel out there.”

The Pirates and Lancers usually play in February. But because of the World Baseball Classic, the game was shifted to the end of spring training, which may have benefitted an MCC team right in the middle of its Suncoast Conference schedule.

“We’ve definitely worked our kinks out,” Luciano said. “We’re playing as a team right now, which has helped us and gave us a much better chance, obviously.”

The Lancers threw nine different pitchers at the Pirates, with Bayshore graduate Bobby Dixon getting a win and T.J. Harbuck earning the save.

The Lancers’ last four pitchers — including Manatee alum Mike Mullen and Saint Stephen’s graduate Johnny Lingo — held the Pirates hitless.

MCC hopes the momentum spins forward.

The Lancers own a three-game lead in the Suncoast Conference standings and resume conference play Saturday when they host Hillsborough Community College.

The postseason begins April 21. The Lancers are a confident bunch, but beating a bunch of professionals won’t hurt either.

“Down the road, I hope it parlays into something good,” Hill said. “We’ve got to get geared up for the stretch drive, and this is certainly better than coming in and stinking up the house here.”