Pirates blanked by Bobcats in playoff opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
|
Saddleback | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 2 | 6 | 2 |
MISSION VIEJO -- A rare pitching duel by a pair of familiar foes didn't turn out the way Orange Coast College wouldn't like as the Pirates lost to Saddleback, 2-0, in the opening game of the 2024 Southern California Regional Playoffs on Friday at Saddleback College.
With loss puts the 20th-seeded Pirates (16-25) into "must-win" mode on Saturday against the 4th-seeded Bobcats (25-15) as the two teams go at it again on Saturday at 12 p.m. with a third game (if necessary) 30 minutes after Game 2.
OCC's top pitcher in 2024, sophomore Jack Ross, pitched his heart out for the Pirates, holding Saddleback to just one run on five hits with no walks and two strikeouts in a 117-pitch pitching gem. Unfortunately for OCC and Ross, Saddleback's hurler, Jack Wade, topped Ross by holding Coast to one hit over the first five innings with three walks and seven strikeouts. From there, the Bobcat bullpen continued to put zeros up on the scoreboard with Ryan Seymour pitching a scoreless sixth and seventh innings and Dylan Blakey earning his second save with a hitless, five-strikeout performance over the final two frames.
A run-scoring fly ball in the bottom of the third off the bat of Makani Tanaka scored the only run required for Saddleback, but the Bobcats added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a run-scoring fielder's choice off the bat of Jacob Beauchaine.
Coast's best chance to score came in the top of the first when a walk, a single by J.T. Crabbe and a hit batter loaded the bases with just one out. But, Wade stepped up and got back-to-back strikeouts on the next two OCC batters to end the threat.
