Orange Coast College Baseball Tournament : Cerritos Hits 3 Home Runs to Overpower OCC, 10-1

Cerritos College hit three home runs, and Pat Sweet and Matt Patuano combined on a seven-hitter, leading the Falcons to a 10-1 victory over host Orange Coast in the championship game of the Orange Coast baseball tournament Friday at Costa Mesa.

Cerritos, the top-ranked community college team in Southern California, defeated second-ranked Orange Coast for the second time in two days. The Falcons (28-4) gave the Pirates (25-8) their first loss in the double-elimination tournament Thursday, winning 11-2.

Orange Coast defeated the other once-beaten team, Cuesta, 10-5, earlier Friday to advance to the final.

Sweet (8-0), a 6-foot 3-inch, 195-pound freshman left-hander, pitched seven innings before being relieved by Patuano, who earned the save. The only run Orange Coast got was unearned, as Todd Oshiro scored from third on a ground-ball error by second baseman Ron Hauczinger.

Greg Marshall (1-2) was the loser.

Cerritos scored three runs in the first on a three-run home run by Brian Hunter, and added three in the third, as Dave Lazano hit a two-run home run. Jose Millares added another two-run home run in the seventh.

In the earlier game, Orange Coast fell behind, 2-0, after one inning but scored six runs on four hits in the second, taking the lead for good in a 10-5 victory over Cuesta.

Orange Coast loaded the bases in the second on a walk and singles by Dave Staton and Mark Rasmussen, scoring six runs on a single by Jeff Brouellette, a triple by J.J. Culpepper, a sacrifice fly by Mike Lujan, two errors and a passed ball.

John Kuzmick (3-0) earned the victory.