Pirates top Rustlers, alone atop OEC

Players from Huntington Valley Little League teams named after and wearing replica uniforms of Orange Coast College and Golden West were on hand for the rubber game in the community college baseball rivalry series on Saturday at OCC.

And with a combined 10 unearned runs, seven errors, 11 walks, six wild pitches, five hit batters, three balks and two passed balls, OCC’s 14-7 victory had a decidedly Little League feel.

But sloppy play aside, the results were big-league for the Pirates (29-8, 14-4 in the Orange Empire Conference), who parlayed Riverside’s loss to Saddleback to take a one-game lead in the conference standings with three regular-season games to play.

OCC, ranked No. 2 in the state, can clinch the outright OEC crown with three victories over Irvine Valley next week.

Victory on Saturday was virtually assured with an eight-run fourth inning in which three Rustlers’ errors led to seven unearned runs.

“That was pretty,” OCC Coach John Altobelli said sarcastically. “We played like Little Leaguers for half the game.”

Golden West (18-19, 8-10) finished with four errors, one more than the Pirates, and OCC proved to be more optimistic when it came to cashing in miscues.

Four walks also aided OCC’s big inning, allowing the Pirates to pull away from a pesky Golden West squad that trailed, 3-1, after one inning, 6-2, after the second, but closed to within 6-5 through three.

OCC starter McKinley LeFore could not capitalize on the early leads. He allowed five runs, three earned, on four hits before exiting in the third inning, denied the chance to improve on his 8-0 record.

Blair Lewis allowed one run on four hits over five innings to collect the win, his third in four decisions, and Doug Magee and Jacob Higareda both followed with relief innings to propel the Pirates back into first place.

Altobelli credited his offense with making the difference, as eight players contributed to OCC’s 10-hit attack.

OCC sophomore shortstop Travis Moniot went two for two with three walks. He scored three times and drove in two runs, including an inside-the-park home run in the decisive fourth inning, and also stole a base.

OCC sophomore catcher Robert Teel was two for three with two RBIs, two runs and one walk, while sophomore second baseman J.T. Navarro drove in three runs and scored twice from the leadoff spot.

OCC sophomore center fielder Jacob White also drove in two runs, while sophomore first baseman Eric Wagaman knocked in a run to up his team-leading RBI total to 39.

Eleven Rustlers contributed to the visitors’ 12 hits, with sophomore third baseman Stephen Fedele leading the way. Fedele came off the bench to go two for two with a pair of doubles.

Fedele, Jeff Zordani and Chris Rodriguez drove in one run a piece with hits, while Myles Moran plated another with a sacrifice fly.

Golden West dropped to sixth place in the eight-team conference. The Rustlers finish the regular season with three games against last-place Fullerton.

Orange Empire Conference

Orange Coast 14, Golden West 7

SCORE BY INNINGS

GWC 113 000 101 – 7 12 4

OCC 330 800 00x – 14 10 3

Knapp, Carrillo (3), Vincent-Simeona (4), Pactwa (5), Sturgeon (7), Woinarowicz (8) and Moran, Cacciatore (7); LeFore, Lewis (3), Magee (8), Higareda (9) and Teel, Ceballos (8). W – Lewis, 3-1. L – Knapp, 6-4. 2B – Canjura (GWC), Aguilar (GWC), Moniot (OCC), Wagaman (OCC), Cacciatore (GWC), Fedele (GWC) 2, Gozzo (OCC). HR – Moniot (OCC).

barry.faulkner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BarryFaulkner5