Bell, Pirates take series opener over Cougars

COSTA MESA -- The bats came alive for the Orange Coast College baseball team as the Pirates rolled past visiting Cuesta, 9-1, on Thursday at Wendell Pickens Field in the opening game of a three-game series between the two schools.

Leading the offensive attack was sophomore Tommy Bell, who shows signs of life after an early-season slump. Bell finished the day 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and an RBI for the Pirates (3-3), while James McLellan and Jeff Nellis each added two hits and Cole Rutherford and Chris Blasing each posted two-run hits to spark OCC's 12-hit barrage.

Sophomore lefty Art Vidrio enjoyed watching his teammates score early and often as he picked up his first win of the season, throwing six innings and allowing one run on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts. The trio of Andrew Eppenbach, Andrew Frank and Jack Pabich allowed no runs on three hits with three strikeouts over the final three innings.

The Cougars (0-4) have struggled to find that "big hit" over the first four games of their season and Thursday was no exception. They managed to collect 10 hits, three walks and two hit batters, but left 10 runners on base.

After Josh Falco gave Cuesta a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with an RBI-single to right, OCC answered right back in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, Jack Kruger walked and Bell doubled to left, moving Kruger to third. Rutherford stepped up and delivered a two-run single to left to bring in Kruger and Bell, putting Coast ahead for good.

In the bottom of the second, Robert Longtree worked a 13-pitch at-bat into a triple down the right-field line and scored on a two-out bunt-single by Nellis, putting Coast up 3-1.

Bell's second double of the game came in the third inning and he scored when a ground ball to Cuesta shortstop Steven Pico was thrown away, making it 4-1.

It stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh. That's when an RBI-single by Bell and a two-run single by Blasing pushed the Pirates out in front, 7-1.

Coast capped off its scored in the eighth with a sacrifice fly by Wyatt Hoppie and an RBI-single by Mondesi Gutierrez.

Game 2 of this three-game series will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday at Wendell Pickens Field.