Pirates tame Bulldogs in Super Regional opener

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College baseball team picked up win No. 30 for the season and win No. 1 in this weekend's Southern California Super Regional playoffs, courtesy of a 9-3 victory over visiting Allan Hancock College.

Coast (30-9) manufactured five runs in the bottom half of the fourth with a plethora of unconventional styles, then, racked up four more in the bottom of the seventh the old-fashioned way -- a Cody Bruder grand slam -- blowing the game wide open.

Trailing 1-0, the top-seeded Pirates grabbed the lead for good in the fourth. A walk by Tommy Bell, a single to left by Daniel Delaney and a bunt-single by Justin Broussard loaded the bases with nobody out. Jake Thumm walked to tie game and Robert Longtree used a well-placed ground out to make it 2-1, OCC.

L. Grant Davis singled to right to score Broussard to make it 3-1 before a bases-loaded balk brought home Thumm to make it 4-1. Cody Nulph followed with another useful RBI-ground out to make it 5-1.

AHC starter Nate Thompson (6-4) took the loss after allowing five runs (all earned) on seven hits with five walks and four strikeouts over five innings.

Pirate righty and winning pitcher David Hill (10-1) wasn't sharp for all of his 6 1/3 innings, but he stepped up when his team needed it the most. In the top of the fourth, AHC (24-15-1) had a leadoff double and had runners on first and second with one out, but Hill answered the challenge and retired the next two batters to keep the Bulldogs off of the scoreboard.

The turning point of the game came in the top half of the sixth as a pair of singles and a hit batter, loaded the bases with Bulldogs with nobody out. Hill responded by striking out Zach Nyman and coaxing a pair of infield pop outs by Roger Guillen and Evan Aguilar to end the inning with Coast still ahead, 5-1.

Hill got into trouble in the seventh when Jacob Witkowski led off with a home run, Ryan Welker singled, advanced to second on a ground out and scored on an RBI-single by Ryan Bendele to make it 5-3. Hill was replaced by Dominic Purpura, who retired two of the next three batters to avoid further damage.

But the Pirates responded in the bottom of the seventh in a big way as an error, a single by Thumm and a walk by Robert Longtree loaded the bases with one out. Bruder stepped up and launched his third home run of the season, putting Coast ahead, 9-3.

AHC starter Nate Thompson (6-4) took the loss after allowing five runs (all earned) on seven hits with five walks and four strikeouts over five innings.

Bruder finished the afternoon 2-for-3 with two runs and four RBI, while Delaney and Thumm each had two hits and two runs scored for the Pirates. 

Multi-hit performances for the Bulldogs were turned in by Welker (2-for-4, one run), Bendele (2-for-5, one RBI) and Cameron Ketchen (2-for-4).

Game 2 of this best-of-three Super Regional will take place on Saturday at Wendell Pickens Field, beginning at 12 p.m. Game 3 (if necessary) is slated for Sunday at 12 p.m.