Pirates punch ticket for State Final Four!

COSTA MESA -- For the fourth time since 2005, the Orange Coast College baseball team has earned a trip to the State Final Four after sweeping past Southwestern, 8-0, on Saturday in the Southern California Sectional playoffs at Wendell Pickens Field.

Top top-seeded Pirates (33-9) will be the No. 1 seed out of the South and will take on the North's No. 2 seed in the opening game, set for Saturday, May 24 at 6 p.m. at John Euless Ballpark.

"It's a great feeling -- winning never gets old," OCC head coach John Altobelli said. "I'm so proud of these guys for they way they competed and came together as a group. Once we got on a roll, we've been playing some great baseball. Let's hope that trend continues for one more weekend."

The Pirates' unsung hero of the playoffs -- freshman lefty Art Vidro -- picked up this third win of the postseason, blanking the Jaguars (29-14) over six innings, allowing just one hit with three walks and six strikeouts. For the playoffs, Vidro allowed just one earned run over 19 2/3 innings on 10 hits and 17 strikeouts.

"That's what it takes to make it this far -- guys need to step up and pick up their teammates," Altobelli said of Vidro, who started in place of normal No. 2 starter Jacob Hill (arm soreness). "Art came in and did a great job for us. He was aggressive in the strike zone and he had great movement on his stuff."

Jacob Hill made his playoff debut and threw two strong innings before Spencer Moran threw a scoreless ninth, sending the entire Pirate team onto his back, dogpile style.

SWC starter Kevin Ginkel (8-3) took the loss, allowing seven runs (five earned) over 4 2/3 innings.

Coast (the visiting team in Saturday's game) got the runs it would need in the top half of the third inning. Cody Bruder led off with a single and advanced to third on a one-out double by Cody Nulph. Chris Iriart followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Bruder for a 1-0 Pirates' lead.

Tommy Bell then followed with a two-run home run over the left-field fence -- his fifth home run of the season -- putting Coast ahead, 3-0.

The Pirates -- winners of 12 straight -- took advantage of some sun-aided help and blew the game wide open in the top of the fifth. With two outs and Nulph on first base, Iriart hit a towering fly ball to right, which was lost on the sun. The ball fell in front of the SWC right-fielder and Nulph hustled all the way around to score on the play, making it 4-0.

After Bell was hit by a pitch, Daniel Delaney lined a double down the left-field line, scoring Iriart to make it 5-0.

Justin Broussard hit a grounder to short, but the throw was mishandled by the SWC first baseman, allowing both Delaney and Bell to score, giving the Pirates a 7-0 lead.

Bruder (3-for-5, two runs, one RBI) ended the scoring in the sixth with a solo home run to left -- his fourth of the season and the state-best 23rd of the season for the Pirates.

GAME NOTES -- Nulph extended his hitting streak to 26 games by going 2-for-5 with two runs ... Jake Thumm added three hits to the Pirates' 12-hit attack ... the Pirates will be playing for their fifth state baseball title in school history (1956, 1960, 1980, 2009) ... today's shutout was the seventh of the season for the Pirates, tying the school record set in 1954.