Orange Coast College

Baseball: Late offense propels Pirates to 8-3 win over Gauchos

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

COSTA MESA -- After being held to just two hits through five innings, the bats came to life down the stretch for the Orange Coast College baseball team as the Pirates notched their ninth straight win with an 8-3 victory over visiting Saddleback.

The win, combined with a 6-5 win for Cypress over Santa Ana, gives OCC the lone spot atop the Orange Empire Conference standings at 9-2 (18-7 overall).

Falling behind 3-0 in the top of the sixth, the Pirates began their comeback in the bottom half of the sixth with some two-out success as Brett Wallach notched a two-run single to left, scoring Mykal Stokes and Drew Hillman to make it 3-2, Saddleback.

In the seventh, OCC had runners on first and second with two outs when Ryan Sheeks (pictured left) ripped a triple to right, scoring Corey Schultz and D.J. Arellano on the play for a 4-3 Pirates' advantage.

In the eighth, Coast batted around the order, scoring four runs on five hits -- the most unique coming from an RBI sacrifice fly from Wallach to deep center field that scored Drew Hillman all the way from second base.

Sheeks sparked the Coast offense by going 3-for-5 with three RBI from the leadoff spot. Wallach added three RBI of his own, while Hillman and Arellano each went 2-for-4.

Reliever Kyle Krogman (1-2) picked up the win, helping Wallach out of a bases-loaded jam. Brett Williams threw the final two innings to notch his second save and even helped his own cause with a single and a run scored during OCC's four-run eighth.

Wallach was solid on the mound through five innings before running into some trouble in the sixth. He allowed three runs on six hits, with two walks, two hit batsmen and four strikeouts. It was his first outing since getting hit in the face with a pitch while batting against Cypress this past Thursday.

For Saddleback (15-12, 5-5), Robby Ross took the loss, despite seven strong innings of work. Catcher Tyler Krobetzky notched a pair of hits for the Gauchos, while Dalton Sype added a hit and two RBI.

OCC returns to action on Thursday at Riverside (2 p.m.) before returning home to face the Tigers on Saturday at noon.