Community College Baseball : Cypress Knocks Off Orange Coast

Cypress College scored an unearned run in the eighth inning to break an 8-8 tie and upset first-place Orange Coast, 9-8, Saturday in an Orange Empire Conference baseball game at Cypress.

It was the second upset in three days for Cypress, which has won four consecutive games and six of its last seven after losing seven straight. Cypress (7-10, 23-17) upset second-place Rancho Santiago, 5-3, Thursday.

The loss snapped OCC’s 11-game conference winning streak and leaves the Pirates one game ahead of Rancho Santiago--which beat Riverside, 11-1, Saturday--with three games remaining. OCC (14-3, 29-9) plays at Rancho Santiago at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Dave Brodt’s two-out single drove home Mike Faddoul with the winning run. Faddoul had hit a ground ball down the third-base line that OCC’s Ralph Ramirez dove for and stopped but then threw over the head of first baseman Dave Staton. Faddoul was credited with a single and moved to second on the error.

OCC had a chance to tie the game in the ninth when Joey James walked and Dave Staton singled, but Erik Silvey struck out Mike Misuraca for the final out.

Silvey (4-7) survived a five-run first inning, during which he gave up a three-run home run to Ramirez (his seventh) and a two-run home run to Staton (his ninth). Silvey gave up 11 hits but struck out eight.

Cypress scored four runs in the first, including RBI singles by Rick Nen and Mike Parker. Trevor Hoffman hit a two-run home run (his fifth) in the second as Cypress took a 7-5 lead.

Rex Peters hit a home run for OCC in the third to cut the lead to 7-6.

In other Orange Empire Conference play:

Rancho Santiago 11, Riverside 1--Bob Brucato was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Brent Reese was 3 for 4 with two runs scored as the Dons (13-4, 26-8) defeated the Tigers at Riverside. Rich Gonzales (1-0) pitched six shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out four to record the victory. Scott Swearingen, who was 2 for 2 with a run and an RBI, and Todd Lloyd, who was 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI, also led Rancho Santiago’s 17-hit attack.

In South Coast Conference action:

Fullerton 3, Mt. San Antonio 2--The Hornets (18-7, 24-12-2) drew a pair of two-out, bases-loaded walks in the bottom of the eighth to force in the tying and winning runs at Fullerton. Scott Einhorn (2 for 4) and Bart Stroozas started the two-out rally with singles. Jim Troup was hit by a pitch, and Richard Weller (2 for 3 with an RBI) and Rodney DeYoung walked.

After Steve Vondran hit a home run in the top of the eighth to give Mt. SAC a 2-1 lead, Fullerton pitcher Craig Oden hit Gaspar Ruiz in the back with a pitch and was ejected. David Wackerman (2-0) pitched two innings of no-hit relief to record the victory. Mt SAC is 16-9, 25-11.