Community College Baseball Roundup : Orange Coast Uses Pierce’s Bat, Arm to Defeat Rancho Santiago, 8-5

Eddie Pierce was a star at bat and as a relief pitcher Saturday, leading Orange Coast College to an 8-5 victory over Rancho Santiago in an Orange Empire Conference baseball game at Rancho Santiago.

Pierce, a sophomore transfer from UC Santa Barbara, broke a 4-4 tie with a three-run home run in the seventh as OCC rallied for five runs to take a 7-4 lead.

Pierce, who starts in right field, then was called to replace starting pitcher John Douris with one out and the bases loaded in the seventh. He pitched the final 2 2/3 innings for his third save.

Pierce, a left-hander, entered with left-handed Conrad Colby, Rancho Santiago’s leading hitter, coming up. He struck out Colby on a full-count curveball for the second out, but then needed some help to get out of the jam.

Pierce threw a wild pitch that cut the lead to 7-5 and put runners at second and third. Then, with the count full to John McTaggart, Pierce bounced a breaking pitch, and McTaggart checked his swing, which should have loaded the bases again.

But Louie Maldonado, the Dons’ runner on third, thinking that McTaggart had struck out on the pitch, began jogging slowly to the plate. A rundown followed and McTaggart was tagged out by catcher Mike Kelly.

OCC added a run on an RBI single by Darrell Conner in the ninth. Pierce then retired the side in order, and the conference race tightened.

Rancho Santiago (20-11, 10-4 in conference) remains in first. OCC (23-8-1), 9-5) is in second, Golden West (14-10-1, 8-5) and Cypress (22-11, 8-5) are tied for third. Golden West lost to Saddleback, 11-1, Saturday and Cypress had a bye.

“It’s a race now,” OCC Coach Mike Mayne said. “They (Rancho Santiago) had a chance to put a nail in our coffin today and didn’t. Now, we are in control of what happens.”

Pierce and Conner had RBIs in the second as OCC took a 2-0 lead. Joey Townsend hit a two-run single and Ed Renteria hit into a double play that scored another run as Rancho Santiago took a 3-2 lead in the second. Tim Reynolds’ sacrifice fly made it 4-2 in the sixth.

But in the seventh, Rancho Santiago starter Jack Bailey became wild. He walked Nick Santa Cruz and Craig Nixon with one out. Jason Young doubled off the left-field fence to score Santa Cruz. Bailey balked to score Nixon, and it was tied, 4-4. Scott Talanoa walked, and after Marty Cordova popped up, Pierce came up.

Bailey jumped ahead one ball and two strikes, but hung a slider to Pierce, who pulled it over the right-field fence for his fourth home run. Douris (6-1), who allowed four hits and four earned runs, got the victory. Bailey (7-2) took the loss.

In other conference games:

Saddleback 11, Golden West 1--Brent Ferguson went four for four with a solo home run for the Gauchos. Ryan Henderson pitched six innings to earn the victory and Todd Bush picked up his eighth save.

Fullerton 5, Riverside 4--Russ Barnes’ run-scoring single with two out in the ninth lifted the Hornets at home. After Riverside tied it, 4-4, on an unearned run in the top of the ninth, John Connolly was hit by a pitch with one out in the bottom of the inning. Connolly went to second on a groundout and scored on Barnes’ hit. Fullerton (10-17, 5-9) opened the scoring with four runs in the fourth, including two on a double by Greg Gistlinck. Steve Trachsel (3-5) got the victory in relief. Riverside dropped to 5-18-1, 2-10-1.