Orange Coast College

Baseball: FRESNO BOUND! PIRATES PUNCH TICKET TO STATE FINAL FOUR!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

COSTA MESA -- "It was the game of my life."

That quote came from Orange Coast College starting pitcher Calvin Drummond shortly after his complete-game, 16-strikeout performance lifted the Pirates to a 7-1 win over Mt. San Jacinto on Sunday in the 2009 Southern California Super Regional championship game.

With the win, the No. 2 seed Pirates (34-13) have punched their ticket to the State Final Four, set for Saturday-Monday at Fresno City.

OCC will be the No. 1 seeded team out of Southern California, thanks to Santa Ana College's win the other Super Regional, knocking off top-seeded Palomar.

"With everything this team has had to go through, to end up going to the Final Four, it's truly a testament of what type of character they have," OCC head coach John Altobelli said. "What a performance by the entire team this weekend. Everyone stepped up and now, we get one more weekend."

Even with a 14-hit, 11-run barrage by the Coast offense, the real story of the game was Drummond. The freshman righty, who hasn't thrown since May 1, held the Eagles' bats in check, allowing just five hits, no walks and a season-high 16 strikeouts. His 16 Ks were just one shy of the school record, set by Teddy Herrera back in 1954.

"Talk about an incredible performance," Altobelli said. "Our starters have been carrying the load all season long and if we can the same type of performance in Fresno, I like our chances against anyone."

Following a fourth-inning solo home run by MSJC's Drew Madrigal, Drummond (9-5) turned up the octane and retired the next 15 batters before allowing a leadoff single in the ninth. In five innings, he had two strikeouts and struck out the side in the fifth.

While Drummond clamped down on the Eagles' bats, the OCC offense took apart a depleted Mt. San Jacinto pitching staff, playing its fourth game in three days.

After Drummond worked out of a first-inning jam, Coast grabbed the lead for good in the bottom of the first when Ryan Sheeks (5-for-5, one run scored) singled to center, advanced to third on a single by Mykal Stokes (2-for-4, one run). Drew Hillman followed up with a line-drive double off the centerfield wall, scoring both runners for a 2-0 lead. Hillman advanced to third on the play and scored on an RBI grounder by Brett Wallach to make it 3-0.

The lead grew to 4-0 when Ricky Stokes reached on an infield single, went to third on a Beck Wheeler single and scored on a two-out, RBI single to center by D.J. Arellano.

Arellano, the unsung hero of the Pirates this year, wasn't through. In the fifth, with two outs and two runners on base, the Coast catcher drove a ball into the right-field gap for a triple, scoring Wallach and Scott Hong, then was awarded home when the relay throw left the playing field. Arellano finished with three hits, one run and three RBI.

"Talk about the heart and soul of this team," Altobelli said of Arellano. "He comes to the field ready to play every day and with all that's gone on here, he's really stepped up as the leader of the club."

OCC's lead was plenty for Drummond on this day as he ended the game with, what else, a strikeout.

The Pirates will play again on Saturday at Fresno City College at 6 p.m. against either San Jose City or San Joaquin Delta.

OCC will be making an appearance in the State Final Four for the first time since 2005. The Pirates will be looking for their first state championship since 1980.