Pirates keep rolling with 3-1 win over Bobcats

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College softball team picked up a bump up the state polls and on Monday, the Pirates showed why as they quickly dispatched of visiting Saddleback, 3-1, in an Orange Empire Conference matchup at the OCC Softball Stadium.

It took less than 90 minutes for the state's fourth-ranked Pirates (19-4, 9-1 in the OEC) to topple the 15th-ranked Bobcats (18-7, 2-4) as pitcher Daniella Sanchez silenced the Saddleback bats for a complete-game win. The freshman allowed just one run on three hits, walking one and striking out three to improve her record to 8-0. She retired the side in order three different times and kept hard contact to a minimum against the Bobcat offense ranked among the top 20 in the state.

Coast grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Isabel Lopez singled down the left-field line, advanced to second on a walk by Reyna Hernandez and scored when a sacrifice bunt by Maiah Rodriguez was misplayed into an error.

In the bottom of the third, what looked to be a 1-2-3 inning for Bobcat pitcher Alexa Pfutzenreuter (7-3) was denied when Jasmyn Morales reached on a bad-hop single to left with two outs. Kimora Tuipala followed with a double into the right-field gap, bringing Morales around from first to put OCC up, 2-0.

Rodriguez picked a good day for her first home run of the season as she lined a shot over the left-field fence in the bottom of the fourth, putting Coast up, 3-0.

Saddleback cut into the OCC lead in the top of the sixth when Mia Fogle doubled to center, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI groundout off the bat of Ka'ui Garcia. 

But that would be the lone blemish on Sanchez's stat sheet as she retired the final six batters to keep the Pirates ahead for good.

Pfutzenreuter did a good job for the Bobcats in keeping the Pirates off-balanced with her array of off-speed pitches. She, too, went the distance, allowing three runs on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

Game 2 of this three-game series takes place on Tuesday at OCC, beginning at 2 p.m., with the finale set for Saddleback on Thursday, also at 2 p.m.