Orange Coast College

Baseball: Pirates take Regionals opener, 15-1

Friday, May 08, 2009

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College baseball team made a loud entrance into the postseason, defeating visiting Ventura 15-1 on Friday in Game 1 of the 2009 Southern California Regional Playoffs, played at OCC's Wendell Pickens Field.

After sputtering into the postseason, the No. 2 seed OCC Pirates (30-13) returned to firing on all cylinders on Friday, thanks to a 15-run, 20-hit offense and a pitching duo that held the 15th-seed VC Pirates (27-17) to just two hits after the first inning.

Sophomore standout Brett Wallach had his hand in both categories, throwing seven strong innings to improve to 8-1 and added two hits, two runs and two RBI at the plate. The Orange Empire Conference Player of the Year allowed one run on five hits, walking three and striking out five in a 109-pitch performance.

Ventura's lone run came in the first inning when A.J. Gallardo singled home Garrett Rau with the game's first score, putting the visiting Pirates up 1-0.

But the hosts answered fast with three in the bottom of the frame. The big blow came from sophomore first baseman Ricky Stokes, who ripped a two-out, two-run double to left-center, scoring Drew Hillman (pictured above) and Wallach.

After a Ventura error helped plate OCC's fourth run in the fourth inning, Ricky Stokes hit his fourth home run of the season to make it 5-1. Stokes finished the game with three hits, two run scored and four RBI.

With the score 5-1, Coast blew the game wide open in the bottom of the seventh when 14 batters turned 10 hits and a walk into nine runs. Wallach tripled home two runs with a triple and Hillman (3-for-6, three runs, three RBI) launched his 11th home run of the season to plate another pair. Mykal Stokes (3-for-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI) added a single and double and two RBIs in the seventh, while Ricky Stokes, Scott Hong (2-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI) and D.J. Arellano (2-for-5, 1 run, 1 RBI) each added RBI hits in the frame.

In the eighth, Kris Martin came off the bench and ripped his first home run of the season to cap off the scoring.

Brett Williams closed out the game with two scoreless innings of work.

Ryan Sheeks was a spark from the leadoff spot, providing two hits and three runs scored for Coast.

Ventura and Orange Coast will play Game 2 of this best-of-three series on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. If Ventura wins, a third-and-final game will be played 30 minutes following the conclusion of Saturday's first game.

In other Southern California Regional action ...

(1) Palomar 10, (17) Citrus 2
(3) Cuesta 4, (14) Mt. San Antonio 3
(4) Cypress 10, (13) Allan Hancock 3
(5) Santa Ana 6, (12) Southwestern 5
(6) Long Beach 6, (11) Grossmont 4
(7) Mt. San Jacinto 13, (10) Cerritos 7
(9) Saddleback 12, (8) College of the Canyons 10