Nine-run fourth propels Pirates past Lasers, 11-9
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Irvine Valley | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 0 |
|
Orange Coast | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 11 | 18 | 2 |
COSTA MESA -- Trailing 7-1 early, the Orange Coast College baseball team needed a boost from the offense and the Pirates got just that as a nine-run fourth inning helped push OCC past Irvine Valley, 11-9, on Tuesday at John Altobelli Park.
In that fateful fourth, the Pirates (21-10, 7-6 in the Orange Empire Conference) -- winners of seven in a row -- sent 14 batters to the plate and knocked out two IVC pitchers along the way, putting the hosts up for good.
Zach Dickason reached on an infield single to third and advanced to second on a ground out. Koby Williams stepped up and chopped a single down the left-field line to score Dickason and bring Coast closer at 7-2.
Zach Leite tripled to left-center to score Williams ... 7-3 ... and after a pair of hit batters, Alec Gomez singled to right to score Leite to make it 7-4.
The IVC bullpen went to work and it didn't get much better for the Lasers (10-22, 0-13) as an RBI-single by Sebastian Moore, a 2-run single by Evan Scalley and RBI-hits by Dickason and Jayden Lyburtus put OCC ahead, 9-7. Leite capped off OCC's nine-run frame with an RBI single to right, OCC's ninth hit of the inning.
Zach Crandall led off the fifth with a solo home run to make it 11-7. IVC would add a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, but the Pirate bullpen silenced the Lasers the rest of the way.
Shutout innings by Jacob Odle in the seventh, Chase Rousselo in the eighth and Dimond Loosli in the ninth (fifth save) capped off the comeback win.
Dickason finished the afternoon 5-for-5 with three runs and an RBI, while Leite added three hits, a run and two RBI for OCC. Multi-hit games were turned in by Moore (2-for-5, one run, one RBI), Scalley (2-for-5, one run, two RBI) and Lyburtus (2-for-5, one RBI).
Game 2 of this three-game series will take place on Thursday at IVC, beginning at 2 p.m. with the series finale back at John Altobelli Park on Saturday, beginning at 12 p.m. All fans in attendance will receive an OCC Pirate foam finger (in the shape of a Pirate hook) to celebrate OCC's 75th anniversary.
