New Wendell Pickens Field sees Pirates blank Roadrunners in opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Desert | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
|
Orange Coast | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 8 | 8 | 0 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College baseball team kicked off the new-and-improved Wendell Pickens Field era in grand style with an 8-0 win over visiting College of the Desert in the Pirates' season opener on Saturday.
It was a pitcher-by-committee day for the Pirates as head coach John Altobelli used opening day to display seven different pitchers, who combined to hold the Roadrunners (0-2) to one harmless single while walking three and striking out eight.
The Pirates broke the game open with a five-run second inning and cruised from there.
Back-to-back singles by Domenic Donato and Javier Rosales kicked off OCC's five-run second and that duo scored on a two-run double off the bat of Josh Berman, putting the Pirates up, 2-0. After a hit-by-pitch by Chris Ceballos, Joey Fregosi ripped a two-run triple into the right-center field gap, putting Coast ahead, 4-0. Fregosi capped off the frame by scoring on a fielder's choice to make it 5-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, Ceballos walked and three batters later, scored on an RBI-single by Fregosi to put OCC up, 6-0.
Coast loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with a double and two walks before a wild pitch plated the Pirates' seventh run of the game.
Skylar Limonchi capped off the scoring for the Pirates in the bottom of the seventh by driving in Jacob Doty with an RBI-single to center.
Coast will take to the road for the next few days before returning to Wendell Pickens Field on Tuesday, Feb. 6 against Long Beach City College, beginning at 2 p.m.
