Orange Coast puts the slug on Saddleback

Orange Coast College withstood a nine-run fourth inning by visiting

Saddleback and eventually rallied with six runs in the seventh to

capture a 15-11 Orange Empire Conference baseball victory Tuesday.

Freshman second baseman Tyler Shaffer sparked four separate Coast

rallies, reaching base five times and scored four times.

Leading, 4-0, after three innings, the Pirates saw their lead

vanish as 14 Gauchos went to the plate in the fourth inning, scoring

nine times off eight hits and a couple of OCC miscues.

Saddleback’s offense included a double, two triples and two home

runs.

Coast retaliated with two runs in the fourth and fifth innings to

pare the deficit to 10-8, setting up the big inning.

With a run across and two on base with two outs, the Pirates went

to work.

Ryan Mathes reached on an error to load the bases, and Greg Benoit

forced in a run with a free pass. Then Dustin Hicks, Collin Stiltz

and Jeff Piaskowski each hit first-pitch, RBI singles to open the

floodgates for four more runs.

Despite a game featuring 26 runs and 29 hits, the pitching of Kyle

Allen may have been the most significant issue. The OCC ace struck

out Will Craig on three pitches to end a threat in the eighth, and

two more batters in the ninth for the save.

Kyle Stanley finished 4 for 6 with a double, two RBIs and three

runs scored, and Ben Hanna was 3 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored.

Hicks was 2 for 5 with three RBIs and a run scored.

The Pirates (11-9-1,3-5) host Saddleback (16-5-12, 6-2) again on

Thursday in the final of their conference series at 2 p.m.

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Orange Empire Conference

Orange Coast 15, Saddleback 11

Score by Innings

Saddleback 000 910 100 -- 11 15 4

OCC 103 220 61x -- 15 14 3

Kucera, Christensen (4), Kruger-Burges

(6), Pharris (7) and Johnson; Farias,

Hart (4), Treece (4), Allen (8) and

Hicks. W -- Treece, 3-3. L -- Kruger,

0-2. Sv -- Allen (1). 2B -- Araiza (S),

Stanley (OCC), Mathes (OCC). 3B --

Scuderi (S), Wilson (S). HR -- Wilson

(S), Craig (S)

*--*