Community College Notebook : Cypress’ Silvey Delivers Despite Lack of Support

Erik Silvey has had to make plenty of adjustments while pitching at Cypress College.

He was a starter at Fullerton High School, but Cypress had enough starters last season, so Coach Scott Pickler switched him to short reliever.

Silvey, a sophomore right-hander, adjusted pretty well. He was 3-2 with three saves in 16 games.

This season, Cypress needed starters. So Silvey was switched back.

In nonconference play, Silvey was 3-1 as a starter. Now that tough Orange Empire Conference play has begun, he has had to make his most difficult adjustment thus far--pitching without support.

Silvey is 0-3 in three conference starts, and the Centurions have failed to score when he has been in the game.

Although Silvey’s earned-run average is 2.84 and he has 57 strikeouts in 50 innings, his record is 3-4.

“Sometimes, I rag my teammates about it (not scoring),” said Silvey, who relies mostly on fastballs and a knuckle curve. “But they know I’m kidding. Everyone is trying.

“It’s been tough all season. But it makes me try harder and, hopefully, we’ll score some runs. I just have to keep a good attitude and do my job. But it’s good in a way because it makes me be more careful.”

Last Saturday, Silvey gave up four hits in 7 innings against Rancho Santiago, but Cypress made four errors that led to three unearned runs and lost, 3-1.

Cypress (3-4, 17-10) scored its lone run in the eighth--after Silvey had come out.

“That just took the cake,” Silvey said about Saturday’s loss to the Dons (7-0, 17-3), who lead the conference.

In his second conference start, Silvey gave up three runs to Riverside before being relieved in the eighth, but Cypress didn’t score until the ninth and lost, 4-2.

Cypress lost, 7-0, to Rancho Santiago in Silvey’s first conference start. Silvey gave up all seven runs.

“It’s tough on him,” Pickler said. “Some guys melt and some get tougher. He’s one of those that keeps getting tougher.”

The Rancho Santiago men’s track and field team finished the Orange Empire Conference dual-meet season undefeated with a 73-62 victory over Orange Coast last Friday. The Dons (5-0), coached by Al Siddons, were expected to finish behind Saddleback and Orange Coast.

Brian Fisher of Rancho Santiago set a school record in the pole vault Friday with a vault of 15-feet 8-inches. He broke Ed Ellett’s mark of 15-6 set in 1965.

Community College Notes The Fullerton softball tournament continues Saturday at Fullerton College with Cypress playing Saddleback at 9 a.m. and Orange Coast meeting Palomar at 11 in the losers’ bracket games. The winners of these games meet at 3 p.m. Fullerton plays El Camino in the winners’ bracket game at 1 p.m. The double-elimination tournament concludes Sunday with the championship at 1 p.m., followed by a second game, if necessary. . . . Orange Coast’s Joey James hit his eighth home run of the season in the Pirates’ 16-4 victory at Saddleback Tuesday. It was James’ third home run against Saddleback this season. James has 27 career home runs and 107 career RBIs--both school records. He has also been hit by pitches 10 times this season. . . . April Marion, sophomore forward on the Golden West women’s basketball team who averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds this past season, has narrowed her college choices to Pepperdine and UC Riverside. . . . Karen Nakamara, a sophomore left-hander for Golden West, hasn’t allowed an earned run in her last 42 innings. Nakamara (4-4) has allowed 10 earned runs in 62 innings this season for an ERA of 1.13. . . . The Rancho Santiago baseball team is on a nine-game winning streak and leads the Orange Empire Conference by two games over Orange Coast. Rancho Santiago’s last defeat was March 7 to San Diego Southwestern, 7-3. Fullerton has won six straight and is tied for first with Cerritos in the South Coast Conference. Fullerton’s last loss was March 17 to Long Beach City, 8-2. Fullerton plays Long Beach City today at Fullerton and is at Cerritos Saturday. . . . The Orange Coast women’s swimming team goes for its 54th and 55th consecutive dual-meet victories Friday against Citrus and host Saddleback. The OCC women have won the last three state championships. . . . There was no Southern California baseball poll this week.