Orange Coast College

Baseball: Pirates score three in eighth to edge Riverside, 5-4

Saturday, April 05, 2008

COSTA MESA -- Wes Kartch's two-run single and Drew Hillman's game-winning sacrifice fly were the main ingredients to a three-run, eighth-inning rally as the Orange Coast College baseball team slipped past defending state champion Riverside, 5-4, on Saturday at Wendell Pickens Field.

Trailing 4-2 with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the eighth, Kartch delivered a ground-ball base hit to right that scored Ryan Sheeks and Ryan Dunn on the play, tying the game at 4. After Cory Olson was intentionally walked, Drew Hillman delivered a fly ball to center that was deep enough to score Chris Fung from third to give OCC the lead for good.

Sophomore lefty Brandon Dixon threw 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win and improve his record to 8-1. OCC starter Chris Licon threw 6 1/3 solid innings but left trailing 4-2 after a three-run home run by Nick Akins, his 10th of the season.

OCC (25-7-1, 9-1 in the Orange Empire Conference) manufactured its runs without the benefit of RBI hits early on. In the second, Olson earned an RBI on a bases-loaded walk and in the fourth, a double-steal by the Pirates was pulled off as Olson stayed in a rundown at first and it allowed Fung to score without a throw from third.

In the eighth, Dunn started the comeback with a single to left. After a flyout to left, Sheeks hit a chopper to third that was dropped by RCC third baseman Luis Tovar, the Tigers' fifth error of the game.

Fung followed with a walk to load the bases, setting up Kartch's game-tying hit.

RCC (22-11, 4-6) reliever Kyle Morgan pitched 4 1/3 innings of solid relief but takes the hard luck loss and drops to 3-1.

The Pirates travel to Riverside to wrap up their three-game series with the Tigers, beginning at 2:30 p.m. OCC will host Santa Ana on Thursday at 2:30 before playing at SAC on Saturday at noon.