COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Rancho Santiago Downs Cypress, 11-7

Rancho Santiago College’s baseball team moved within a game of clinching a tie for the Orange Empire Conference championship with an 11-7 victory over Cypress Thursday at Rancho Santiago.

But if the Dons are to claim their second conference title in three seasons, it looks as if they will have to do it without ace pitcher Matt Lackie.

Lackie, a sophomore with a 10-2 record, has been sick with a viral infection the past week.

He missed his start this week and isn’t expected back until the playoffs, which start two weeks from today.

Rancho Santiago (30-8, 16-5 in conference) received a strong relief performance from Scott McCorgary, who got a strikeout with the tying run at the plate to stop a Cypress rally in the eighth, and retired the Chargers in order in the ninth for his fifth save, tying a school single-season record set by Wayne Gillis in 1986.

Steve Grack had two hits and three RBIs for Rancho Santiago, which has a two-game lead over Golden West (24-10, 14-7) with three games left.

Rancho Santiago plays host to Orange Coast and Golden West plays host to Cypress Saturday at noon.