Orange County Community College Baseball : Rancho Santiago Defeats OCC to Gain Tie for First

Rancho Santiago College pulled even in the Orange Empire Conference baseball race with a 12-8 victory over Orange Coast Tuesday at Rancho Santiago.

Orange Coast (14-4, 29-10) held a one-game lead could have clinched a tie for the title with a victory Tuesday. The teams have two games left.

Rancho Santiago (14-4, 27-8) plays at Saddleback Thursday and plays host to Citrus Saturday. Orange Coast plays host to Citrus Thursday and Riverside Saturday.

If the teams finish in a tie, there will be a one-game playoff Tuesday to decide which team qualifies for the state playoffs. The site of the playoff game will be decided by a coin flip.

Rancho Santiago’s David Tellers (8-2) relieved starter Mike Anthony in the third inning and pitched 5 innings of shutout relief in a game that had only moments of good pitching.

OCC pitchers walked 12, and five of those batters scored. Rancho Santiago pitchers walked 11, three scoring.

OCC’s Jim Foley (10-2) gave up three runs in the first, one in the third and two in the fourth.

Rancho Santiago scored five runs in the fifth including a three-run double by Bob Brucato, to take an 11-5 lead.

OCC scored five runs in the third, but didn’t score again until the ninth on an RBI single by Joey James and a two-run homer by Dave Staton, his 10th.

“We didn’t have to win today,” Mike Mayne, OCC coach, said. “They had to and they did. Now it’s a matter of not stumbling in the next two games for either team.”

In the Orange Empire Conference:

Riverside 11, Saddleback 10--Jeff Feathers (0-3) walked Mike Mercadel with the bases loaded to force in the winning run in the eighth inning at Saddleback. Art Macias (5-3) gave up two hits and struck out one in two innings for the Tigers. Daryl Hogan relieved Macias in the eighth for the save. Bill Lasher was 2 for 4 with a three-run home run and seven RBIs for the Gauchos (3-15, 11-22). Randy Wedertz was 3 for 4 with an RBI and Mike Kohler was 2 for 3 with a home run and an RBI for Riverside (8-10, 17-20).

In the South Coast Conference:

Fullerton 9, Pasadena City 4--The Hornets, led by Scott Einhorn, Richard Weller, Jim Troup and John Rice, scored five runs to break a 4-4 tie in the ninth at Pasadena. Brad Hopper (6-0) came on in relief in the seventh and gave up three hits and struck out three for the Hornets. Mark Kiefer pitched the first six innings, giving up four runs, six hits and striking out five. Bart Stroozas was 3 for 4 with two RBIs, a double and a two-run home run and Shawn Blankenship was 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored for Fullerton (11-7, 25-12-2). Dan Hornbuckler and Carlos Robles each had a home run for Pasadena City.

Long Beach City 7, Golden West 3--After Kevin Hokus walked the first three batters, John Meza’s double cleared the bases as Long Beach City took an early lead. Ed Pimental capped a four-run first inning, driving in Meza.