David Hill goes the distance as Pirates top Chargers, 4-2

COSTA MESA -- Different Hill, same result for the Orange Coast College baseball team.

Two days after Jacob Hill helped beat Cypress, 12-1, David Hill went the distance to lead the Pirates past the Chargers, 4-2, at Wendell Pickens Field on Thursday in a tough Orange Empire Conference matchup.

Thursday's Hill was not to be denied, allowing just two earned runs on six hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Amazingly, despie the impressive numbers, Hill's ERA actually GREW to 0.94.

Perhaps his best pitching came in the innings in which he allowed runs. Both times -- in the top of the second and top of the sixth -- the Chargers (10-10, 3-6 in OEC) had two runners on with nobody out and both times he minimized the damage and held Cypress to just one run in each frame.

After allowing his second run in the sixth, Hill clamped down and retired 10 in a row before a pair of walks in the ninth made things interesting. But with two runners on and two outs in the ninth, Hill retired Joe Van Marter with a routine grounder to end the game.

In what was billed as a rematch between Hill and Cypress standout hurler Steven Kane, the Charger righty was held back a start and Jaret Vermillion took his spot. Vermillion (1-1) allowed two runs in the first and did not retire a batter in the second before giving way to Matt Esparza, who went the rest of the way and allowed two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts over seven innings.

OCC (18-5, 6-3) picked up those two first-inning runs when Cody Bruder led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by L. Grant Davis. Cody Nulph followed with a single and after a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch moved Nulph to third, Tommy Bell drove him in with a sacrifice fly of his own.

Coast had bases loaded with nobody out in the second when Esparza came in and he worked out of the jam with a strikeout and a double-play grounder, giving the Chargers some momentum. 

But Hill, who had allowed a run in the second, answered the call with three straight strikeouts, giving Coast the momentum back.

In the bottom of the fourth, back-to-back singles by Ryan Perez and Daniel Delaney put runners on the corners. A wild pitch scored Perez to make it 3-1 and two batters later, Robert Longtree singled home Delaney to make it 4-1.

Cypress made it 4-2 in the sixth, but had only one runner reach second base the rest of the way as Hill continued his strong performance.

Bruder and Delaney each had two hits and a run scored for Coast. Kramer Ferrell went 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI for the Chargers.

OCC will return to action on Saturday at home against Santa Ana, beginning at 12 p.m.