Pirates survive playoff opener with 7-4 win over Warriors

COSTA MESA -- Trailing by a run in the bottom of the eighth, the Orange Coast College baseball team found the breaks it would need to pull out a 7-4 win over El Camino College in the opening game of the 2014 Southern California Regional playoffs.

With the win, Coast grabs a 1-0 lead in this best-of-three series with the Warriors (23-15), with Game 2 set for Saturday at 11 a.m. A third game, if necessary, will take place 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2.

The top-seeded Pirates (28-9) trailed 4-3 with just six outs left before piecing together a nine-batter, bottom of the eighth. L. Grant Davis led off with a walk and advanced to second on a high-chop, infield single by Cody Nulph.

Chris Iriart followed with a high-hopper to third baseman Jack Canady, who threw the ball into the dirt, allowing Davis to score to tie the game at 4 and the error put runners on second and third.

With the infield drawn in, Tommy Bell chopped one over the shortstop's head to score Nulph, putting Coast ahead, 5-4.

Three batters later, Jake Thumm collected a bases-loaded double down the left-field line, scoring Iriart and pinch-runner Chris Blasing to make it 7-4.

Reliever Dominic Purpura (2-0) threw the final two innings and retired six straight to get the win. Closer Josh Norwood (2-2) took the loss for the 17th-seeded Warriors.

Fresh off of a 2-1 play-in win over Mt. San Antonio, the Warriors got on the scoreboard in the top of the first when Alex Turner tripled to right-center and scored on an RBI-single by Fred Smith. Three batters later, Joey Notch made it 2-0 with an RBI-single to right, scoring Smith.

ECC made it 3-0 in the top of the second when Joseph Cortez looped a double down the left-field line and scored on an RBI-single to center by Turner. 

OCC starter David Hill overcame the early struggles and held the Warriors off of the scoreboard for the next four innings, while the Pirates chipped away at the deficit.

In the bottom of the fourth, Nulph singled to center, advanced to third when a hard-hit ball by Bell ricocheted off of Canady at third and scored when Smith picked up the ball at shortstop and threw wildly to first, advancing Bell to second.

Cody Bruder collected his second home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth to make it 3-2. Davis singled to left-center and scored on a sun/wind-aided bloop-double off of the bat of Nulph to tie things up at 3.

ECC starter Ulices Moreno pitched seven strong innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven this with two walks and two strikeouts.

In the top of the seventh, Hill gave up a leadoff walk to Kevin Lopez, who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Keyon Allen, went to third on a ground out by Turner and scored on an infield single by Smith, putting ECC up, 4-3.

Hill allowed four runs on eight hits with one walk and six strikeouts over seven innings.

Nulph finished with three hits, two runs and one RBI for Coast, while Bell added three hits and Bruder notched two hits, one run and one RBI.

Smith, Turner and Notch each had two hits for the Warriors.