Pirates drop Cy-Coast opener to Cougars, 7-6

Four costly errors led to four unearned runs and sunk Orange Coast

College in a 7-6 baseball loss to College of the Canyons Saturday

afternoon in the opening game of the Cy-Coast Classic at Wendell

Pickens Field on the OCC campus.

The Pirates dominated the statistics with 14 base hits, but the

defense failed a solid outing by starter Garrett Murdy (11), who went

6 2/3 innings, allowing just three his, but seeing three unearned

runs and five total credited to his ledger.

The first miscue came during a three-run fourth inning that gave

the visitors a 3-1 lead. With runners on first and third, a throw to

the plate was in the dirt, allowing a run to score, and Tony Ortiz

followed with a single that scored two more runs.

The Pirates answered with a three-run inning of their own, taking

a 4-3 lead in the fifth. Kyle Stanley led off with a double to left,

advanced to third on an error by the Cougars’ shortstop, then scored

on a Greg Benoit base hit. Dustin Hicks and Jarrod Carchio followed

with singles, the latter plating Mathes and Benoit.

Canyons scored four in the seventh, all with two outs after errant

infield toss to first was wide to extend the inning. As a result the

Cougars chased Murdy and collected three hits off his relief.

The Pirates rallied with two in the bottom of the inning, but came

up one run short in the seven-inning game because of time

limitations.

Hicks roped a one-out single and took second on a ground out by

Carchio. Pinch-hitter Joe Morrison followed with a single, then Ben

Hanna tripled down the right field line to bring home a pair. With a

1-0 count on Derik Easttom, Hanna bolted for the plate on a squeeze

bunt attempt, but the Cougars pitched out and tagged him out for the

final out.

Stanley led the Orange Coast offense, going 3 for 4 with a run

scored and an RBI, while Hanna and Carchio each had a pair of hits

and drove in two. Aaron Sheehey had two hits, scored once and drove

in another to pace the Cougars.

Coast, 6-3-1, plays twice today, hosting College of the Sequoias

at 10 a.m. and Southwestern College at 2 p.m.

*--*

Cy-Coast Tournament

Canyons 7, OCC 6

Score by Innings

Canyons 000 300 4 -- 7 6 3

OCC 100 030 2 - 6 1 4 4

Benesch, Rams (3), Savages (6) and

Montemayor; Murdy, Hart (7) and Hicks. W

-- Savage. L -- Murdy. 2B -- Sheehey

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

-- Hanna (OCC)

*--*