Pirates walk away from Tigers with 4-3 win

COSTA MESA -- Good teams capitalize on mistakes and for the Orange Coast College softball team, it was a late-inning miscue that helped spark the Pirates to a 4-3 comeback win over visiting Riverside City College on Thursday at the Pirate Softball Stadium.

The Pirates (15-2, 7-0 in the Orange Empire Conference), winners of 11 straight, trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but rallied with two runs in the bottom of the frame and added two more in the sixth to complete the comeback effort.

The rally began when McKenzie Koshi led off with a single to center and advanced to third on a double off the bat of Isabel McElroy.

A passed ball plated Koshi with the first run and Natalie Lowthers followed with a hit-by-pitch, putting runners on first and third with nobody out.

Jasmyn Morales came through with an RBI-single to right-center, which scored McElroy to make it 3-2. But RCC pitcher Chloe Lockhart used a pair of fielder's choice outs and a key strikeout to end further damage, keeping Riverside ahead, 3-2.

Coast pitcher Ruby Fidge pitched a stellar game for the Pirates, holding the Tigers to just three runs (two earned) on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts. She kept Riverside off of the scoreboard over the final two innings to allow the OCC comeback to take place.

In the bottom of the sixth, a one-out single by Koshi was followed by what appeared to be a ground-out to second off the bat of McElroy, but the Riverside first baseman dropped the throw, which allowed both base runners to be safe.

Lowthers singled to right to load the bases and Morales knocked in the tying run with a single to center, which scored Koshi and tied the game at 3.

Lockhart struck out the next OCC hitter, but Melissa Hanson worked a great at-bat and coaxed a walk to score McElroy to give Coast a 4-3 lead.

Fidge gave up a leadoff walk in the seventh, but that would be it as she retired the next three batters to end the game, giving the Pirates the comeback win.

OCC will head back to Riverside on Friday for the series finale, beginning at 2 p.m. Coast's next home game(s) will take place on Tuesday as the Pirates host Palomar College in a doubleheader on Tuesday, beginning at 11 a.m.