Pirates prevail over Palomar in season opener, 6-2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Palomar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
|
Orange Coast | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 6 | 11 | 2 |
COSTA MESA -- The right arm of David Hill and several two-out hits helped produce a 6-2 victory in the home opener for the Orange Coast College baseball team over visiting Palomar College on Wednesday at Wendell Pickens Field.
Coast pushed across a single run in the first and added three more in the fourth -- all with two outs -- to take a 4-0 lead and that would be enough for Hill, who blanked the Comets through five strong innings of work. He allowed just three hits, no walks and six strikeouts through five as he turned the ball over to his teammates in the bullpen. The quartet of Brian Bass, David Wilson, Parker Manahan and Spencer Moran allowed no earned runs on just three this with three strikeouts.
Coast struck first when Cody Nulph singled with two outs and scored on an RBI-double to left-center by Chris Iriart.
In the fourth, after a pair of strikeouts, Tommy Bell ripped a 3-2 fastball over the left-field fence to make it 2-0. Ryan Perez followed with a double down the right-field line and he would score on an RBI-triple by Colin Yelich. Cody Bruder followed that up with a double to right-center, which scored Yelich and knocked out Comets' starter Gary Cornish, who allowed four runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings of work.
With the bases loaded and the score 4-1, Iriart hit an RBI-fielder's choice to shortstop, but the throw to first got away, allowing Greg Espinosa to score from second to make it 6-1.
Palomar would score a second unearned run in the eighth and had a pair of runners on base in the ninth, but Moran picked up his first save of the season by retiring the lone batter he faced to end the threat.
Robert Longtree went 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Bruder finished with two hits and an RBI for the Pirates.
The Pirates and Comets will go at it again -- this time at Palomar College -- on Tuesday, beginning at 2 p.m. OCC's next home game will be on Tuesday, Feb. 11 against Southwestern, also at 2 p.m.
