Orange Coast College

Baseball: Pirates hang on to top Cypress for seventh straight win

Friday, March 20, 2009

CYPRESS -- A five-run first inning helped pave the way for the Orange Coast College baseball team in Thursday's 9-7 Orange Empire Conference road win against Cypress.

The top of the order was dominant for the Pirates (16-7, 7-2 in OEC) as Ryan Sheeks went 2-for-3 with three runs scored at the top of the lineup, while Mykal Stokes followed with one hit and two RBI and Drew Hillman added two hits, two runs and two RBI from the three-hole.

Other key contributions at the plate for Coast include Scott Stidham (1-for-4, one run, two RBI) and Ryan Dunn (1-for-4, two RBI).

On the mound, sophomore righty Calvin Drummond improved to 5-2 by holding the Chargers (17-8, 6-3) to four runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings with one walk and three strikeouts.

Andy Abrams pitched well into the ninth inning before Brett Williams came in for the final two outs, preserving the Pirates' seventh straight win.

In the top of the first, Coast took advantage of some erratic starting pitching from Cypress hurler Ray Hanson (5-1). Three hit batsmen (another that was hit on the hand, but was ruled a foul ball), helped set up an RBI double by Hillman, a two-run single by Stidham and a two-run double by Dunn for a 5-0 OCC advantage.

Cypress' Parker Berberet lofted a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to make it 5-2, but the Pirates responded again with a pair in the second. Sheeks led off with a walk, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Stokes and scored on an RBI single by Hillman. After advancing to second on the throw to the plate, Hillman advanced to third on a fly out by Kevin Clark and scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-2.

Some more wildness from the Chargers helped produce a pair of runs for the Pirates in the sixth. D.J. Arellano singled, then advanced to third on back-to-back wild pitches. After Ryan Sheeks reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on another wild pitch, Stokes drove in both runners with a two-run single to left to make it 9-2.

But Cypress would respond, scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth and three more in the ninth before finally running out of outs to the Pirates.

Coast returns to action on Saturday at Saddleback at noon before hosting the Gauchos on Tuesday at 2 p.m.