Pirates find a way to slip past Gauchos in 10
| Final (10) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
|
Saddleback | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
MISSION VIEJO -- In a season dominated by offense, the pitching staff stole the spotlight for the Orange Coast College baseball team as the Pirates edged Saddleback, 3-2 in 10 innings, on Tuesday afternoon.
With a team allowing well over five earned runs per game, the OCC arms kept the Gauchos at bay for the entire game, allowing the Pirate bats to have an off-day while still prevailing.
Leading the way was OCC starter Michael Ryhlick, who pitched his best game of the season, allowing just two earned runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts in a solid, 94-pitch performance.
Teammate Alex Shadid (3-0) topped his lefty pitching partner and threw four innings of one-hit baseball for the Pirates (13-3-1, 9-1 in Orange Empire Conference), needing just 46 pitches to silence the Gauchos with three strikeouts along the way.
Saddleback (9-8, 5-5) matched the arms of the Pirates throughout the game, holding one of the top offenses in the state to just three runs on five hits, while striking out 11.
Trailing, 1-0, Coast pieced together its lone offensive outburst in the top of the fifth inning. With two outs and nobody on, Garret Barto singled, followed by a walk to Emilio Morales. Andrew Cromwell and Tyler each followed with back-to-back RBI-singles to put the Pirates in front, 2-1.
The Gauchos tied the game in the bottom of the sixth and from there, both teams posted zeroes over the next several frames before Coast grabbed the lead in the top of the 10th.
With Cromwell on second and nobody out (International Tiebreaker Rule), a sacrifice bunt by Weaver moved Cromwell to third and he eventually scored on a ball-four wild pitch.
That would be just enough offense needed as Shadid retired three straight Gaucho batters in the bottom of the 10th to strand the tying run on second to end the game.
With the win, Coast maintained its lone spot atop the OEC standings, a game ahead of second-place Cypress (8-2 in OEC) and 1.5 games up on Santa Ana (7-2 at press time).
The Pirates and Gauchos will return to action on Thursday at Saddbeback College (2 p.m.) before the two teams head to OCC for a Friday doubleheader, beginning at 12 p.m. (no spectators allowed)
