State Community College Baseball Tournament : James Leads Orange Coast to 20-4 Win

Joey James hit two home runs to lead Orange Coast College to a 20-4 victory over Los Medanos Friday in the first round of the state community college baseball tournament at Santa Clara University.

OCC (34-11) plays Cerritos today at 11 a.m. at San Jose Municipal Field. Cerritos (45-4), the state’s top-ranked team, defeated Contra Costa, 23-4, in another first-round game of the double-elimination tournament.

James had three hits and six RBIs; he has 16 home runs and 66 RBIs this season.

James is 25 for 50 in his last 12 games since changing bats. He was mired in a slump during spring vacation when he decided to change bats, although the size and model were the same as his old one.

James’ first home run in the third inning came one pitch after Ralph Ramirez’s home run off losing pitcher Al Alcuna (10-2). It was Ramirez’s ninth.

James’ second home run was a three-run shot well over the 400-foot sign in center field in the seventh as OCC built an 18-4 lead. J.J. Culpepper had a three-run home run, his first, earlier in the inning.

OCC, which already broke its single-season home-run record of 43 earlier this season, now has 52.

Orange Coast finished with 17 hits. Ramirez had four, Rex Peters three, and Mark Rasmussen and Mike Misuraca two each. Peters also scored five runs.

All that offense meant that Orange Coast’s pitching gamble wasn’t a factor.

Coach Mike Mayne, hoping to save his better pitchers for later in the tournament, went with his No. 3 starter, John Kuzmic, a freshman left-hander.

Kuzmic (6-0) threw a five-hitter and had seven strikeouts and six walks.

David Dawson (4-3) will start for OCC today. Left-hander Tim Lockhart (11-2) is scheduled to pitch for Cerritos.