Pirates settle for split with Roadrunners

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College baseball team had to settle for a home-and-home split with the College of the Desert Roadrunners, winning at COD on Tuesday, 8-3, before falling at home on Thursday, 1-0.

In the win on Tuesday, the Pirates (12-16) had to outlast the powerful right arm of COD pitcher Trevor Stowe. The freshman righty from Wyoming pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits with two walks and 14 strikeouts, but took the loss, thanks to the trio of OCC hurlers Dimond Loosli, Parker King and Nate Lockwood. Loosli threw the first four innings, allowing a run on five hits with four strikeouts. King earned the win in relief, allowing two runs on two hits with four strikeouts over the next four innings. Lockwood threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning to wrap things up.

After trailing 1-0 through four innings, Jake McMahon ripped an RBI-triple to center to score Sebastian Moore with the tying run and McMahon gave Coast a 2-1 lead after scoring on a wild pitch.

Zach Leite got ahead of a Stowe fastball in the eighth for a two-run home run, putting Coast up, 4-1 before a two-run double by Takata and a run-scoring fielder's choice by Wessel closed out the scoring.

On Thursday, it was a pitcher's duel of the highest level, with only a single run scored between the two teams. A sun-aided, ground-rule double by Samuele Bruno was followed up with back-to-back singles by Eric Arreola and Devin Lopez to give Desert (14-14) all the run support it would need.

COD starter Braden Turner went the distance and improved to 6-1, allowing just five runs, one walk and six strikeouts, slightly topping the effort of OCC starter Jack Ross, who also threw a complete game, allowing just the one run on seven hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in a tough-luck loss.

Turner retired all nine leadoff hitters and the first two batters of each inning went a combined 1-for-18, making life easier for the COD righty. 

Ross was equally impressive and got better as the game went on, retiring 12 of the last 13 batters he faced and didn't allow a hit after the fifth inning.

Coast returns to Orange Empire Conference play on Tuesday at Fullerton College (2 p.m.) with Game 2 set for John Altobelli Park on Thursday, also at 2 p.m.