LeFore shines again as Pirates blank Tigers, 8-0

COSTA MESA -- For the second straight start, Orange Coast College hurler McKinley LeFore faced one of the top offensive teams in the state and for the second straight start, the freshman righty missed bats all afternoon as the Pirates blanked first-place Riverside City College, 8-0, on Saturday at Wendell Pickens Field.

Fresh off of a 1-0 complete-game win over Cypress a week ago, LeFore (6-0) went the distance yet again, holding the Tigers (21-8, 9-3 in Orange Empire Conference) to three hits, two walks and 10 strikeouts in a 113-pitch performance. Only three batters reached scoring position all afternoon for the Tigers as LeFore retired the side in order five different times, including a six-pitch ninth inning.

After being knocked out of first place by Riverside on Thursday (a 4-3 loss), Coast came out swinging on Saturday and quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Back-to-back walks by J.T. Navarro and Travis Moniot were quickly followed with a two-run double down the left-field line by Eric Wagaman. Robert Teel drove in Wagaman with an RBI-single and just four batters into the game, Coast led, 3-0.

It was that kind of afternoon for Tigers' starter David Barela (3-2), who only lasted one time through the OCC lineup and allowed four runs on five hits with two walks.

Coast used three straight hits by Nolan Powers, Domenic Donato and Jacob White to make it 4-0 in the bottom of the second. Two innings later, a two-out single by Navarro was followed with an RBI-double by Moniot, putting OCC ahead, 5-0.

The Pirates capped off their scoring with a three-run fifth inning to make it 8-0, but the real story was LeFore, who held the conference's top team to two singles and a double the entire afternoon and lowered his already-impress ERA to 1.98. Over his last two starts (18 scoreless innings), LeFore has allowed seven hits, three walks and 13 strikeouts.

Teel went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI for the Pirates, who out-hit Riverside, 15-3. Navarro went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, while Powers and White each had two hits and an RBI.

With the win, Coast (22-5, 9-3) joins the Tigers atop the Orange Empire Conference standings with nine conference games remaining. OCC will return to action on Tuesday at Fullerton College (2 p.m.) before returning to Wendell Pickens Field to host the Hornets on Thursday (2 p.m.) the series finale will take place on Saturday (12 p.m.) at Fullerton College.