Softball: Worth the wait

Joseph Boo

HUNTINGTON BEACH - Clear skies. A bright sun. A slight breeze. A

five-run seventh inning. All those factors brought about a sunny

disposition in Orange Coast College’s softball team on Thursday.

With a big last inning, the Pirates defeated Orange Empire Conference and

district rival Golden West, 8-4, for the first time in three tries in a

game that was rained out twice this week.

“That was an incredible game,” OCC Coach Rick Buonarigo said. With the

weather finally right for a softball game, Golden West (13-23, 5-14 in

conference) was headed for a season sweep of OCC (17-23, 6-13) going into

the seventh inning.

The Rustlers scored four runs in the first three innings for a 4-3 lead.

They scraped out two runs in the first with the benefit of an OCC error

and two perfect bunts. Jennifer Reinig’s double scored one Golden West

run in the second, and a sacrifice fly in the third drove in the

Rustlers’ fourth run.

OCC scored once in the first, when Kristin Degree came home on a delay

steal play. The freshman stole second base earlier to give her 40 for the

year. That gives Degree a tie for the school’s o7 careerf7 stolen base

record.

The Pirates scored twice in the third inning off Tasha Thurmond’s single.

But Golden West starting pitcher Janis Chavez shut OCC down for the next

three innings.

Golden West was still up, 4-3, heading into the seventh, and it put Tina

Tuskewicz in for the save. Six batters later, Chavez had to reenter the

game to save Tuskewicz.

Coast’s Meredith Miles and Degree started the seventh with singles. After

Renee Snyder moved both runners up on a sacrifice bunt, Kimberly Guillen

drove in OCC’s tying and leading run with a bloop triple just past diving

Rustler right fielder Jenny Bapp.

“I thought we had a good chance with the top of our lineup coming up,”

Buonarigo said.

And then the insurance runs came in for OCC. Thurmond hit a ground ball

to third baseman Reinig, who threw home to get Guillen. Golden West

catcher Jen McCann missed the tag and Guillen missed the plate, but she

dove back for the score.

Angelia Valdez then singled, and OCC starting pitcher Monica Ortega, who

threw the complete-game victory, doubled to clear the bases and give the

Pirates an 8-4 lead.

“This is the second game in two days where we came back and won,”

Buonarigo said. “We lost nine games this year by one run. We weren’t

getting clutch hits earlier, but we’re getting them now.”

The Pirates are now in sole possession of sixth place with two games

remaining in their season.

“If we win our next game with Riverside, we have a good chance for fifth

place,” Buonarigo said. “Right now, we’re just improving with every

game.”

ORANGE EMPIRE CONFERENCE

Orange Coast College 8, Golden West 4

OCC 102 000 5 - 8 12 2

Golden West 211 000 0 - 4 8 1 Ortega and Snyder; Chavez, Tuskewicz (7), Chavez (7) and McCann. W -

Ortega, 12-18. L - Tuskewicz, 10-18. 2B - Ortega (OCC), Reinig (GW). 3B -

Guillen.