Pirates hold on for win

SANTA ANA — One might suggest Orange Coast College sophomore Keith Demorgandie earned the right to enjoy the final three innings of the Pirates’ 10-9 road victory over Orange Empire Conference baseball bully Santa Ana Thursday.

Demorgandie, making his third appearance, but his first start, since Feb. 24 — after which he was sidelined by a strained elbow ligaments — appeared to restore order to an OCC starting corps that had posted a 5.79 ERA in its previous nine games (including 66 hits allowed in 51 1/3 innings).

In Demorgandie’s six innings on the mound, the 6-foot-2 right-hander turned a Santa Ana offense that had been averaging nearly 12 runs during its 10-game winning streak, into a banjo hitting outfit that managed just four hits and one run.

Despite lacking his typical stamina and command — he walked three and hit a batter — he struck out four, lowered his ERA to 1.12 and improved to 4-2.

But soon after he wrapped his arm and shoulder in ice and took a seat on the OCC bench, Demorgandie and the rest of his teammates and coaches were forced to endure an eight-run Santa Ana ninth that included seven Dons hits and three walks. By the time the final out was recorded — with the tying and winning runs left holding the bag at second and first — the ice chilling Demorgandie’s throwing arm wasn’t the only thing that had melted.

“It was looking like a great victory for us, then, all of a sudden, we can’t get the last out,” OCC Coach John Altobelli said. “[Second baseman Halston] Barcelo Cadillacs a ground ball [ruled an infield hit with two outs] and all heck broke loose.”

“That ninth inning kind of kicked everyone’s butts a little bit,” said OCC sophomore first baseman Eric Oliver, who went five for five to pace the visitors’ 12-hit attack.

OCC improved to 18-15, 8-6 in conference, while Santa Ana, which came in with a five-game lead over OCC and Riverside atop the conference standings, fell to 25-9, 12-2.

Oliver doubled in a run in the first, then lifted a two-run homer into the jet stream blowing out to right-center field in the third to make it 3-0.

A booming three-run homer by Mike Ferraro keyed a fifth-inning rally that also included an RBI single by Chris Fung.

Fung also singled in run in the fourth.

When Demorgandie exited, it was 8-1 and a two-run double by OCC catcher Chris Lum in the ninth appeared to be mere window dressing, with sophomore standout Ryan Shopshire on the mound.

Shopshire, who had missed time recently after a batted ball struck him in the face by accident in practice, worked scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth.

But after a two-run single in the ninth chased Shopshire, Matt Hauser gave up three straight singles, a double and a walk to help the Dons draw within one.

Finally, Manny Caceres flied to center to stop the bleeding.

“Things happen,” Oliver said. “That’s the way baseball goes.”

Ferraro was three for five with three RBIs and Fung was two for four with two RBIs.

OCC third baseman Wes Kartch made two sparkling plays in the seventh, diving to his left, then right, to field hard-hit grounders, then rising to throw to first for the outs.

Orange Empire Conference

Orange Coast 10, Santa Ana 9

Score by Innings

OCC 1 0 2 1 4 0 0 0 2 - 10 12 1

SA 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 8 - 9 12 0

Demorgandie, Shopshire (7), Hauser (9) and Lum; Fujiwara, Mertins (5), Dufour (9), Cendejas (9) and Ramirez. W -- Demorgandie, 4-2. L -- Fujiwara, 6-3. 2B -- Oliver (OCC), Leverson (SA), Lum (OCC). HR -- Oliver (OCC), Ferraro (OCC).