COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Legendre Strikes Out 10 as Cypress Wins Title

Freshman Robert Legendre allowed one hit in seven innings to help Cypress College to a 9-1 victory over Long Beach in the championship game of the Kiwanis Tournament Sunday at Cypress.

Legendre, a freshman right-hander from Western High School, dominated the Long Beach batters. He struck out 10 and walked three.

The only hit he allowed was a home run by D.J. Harris in the fourth inning. The homer came on an 0-2 pitch, and cut the Cypress lead to 2-1.

But Cypress scored three runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth.

Lee Torres, a pinch-hitter, drove in Cypress’ first run of the seventh with a triple to right-center. Abijah Alastra, who opened the inning with a walk, scored on the play.

Torres was caught off third when a squeeze play failed, but Francisco Vega doubled down the left-field line. He later scored on an error. Doug McConathy capped the inning with a run-scoring single to center.

McConathy, a sophomore first baseman from Western, was the tournament’s most valuable player. He was nine for 17 in four games with a double, triple, three home runs and 13 runs batted in. He also scored eight runs.

McConathy had a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Alastra and Sean Drinkwater added RBI singles in the inning, and the fourth run came across on a wild pitch.

Cypress (7-2) had taken a 1-0 lead on a home run by Jason Bates in the third. Alastra had an RBI triple in the fourth.

The tournament championship victory by Cypress was one of three for Orange Empire Conference teams Sunday.

Rancho Santiago won the Southwestern Tournament and Riverside took the College of the Desert Tournament.

Riverside beat another Orange Empire Conference team--Saddleback--for the title.

“You never know how good you’re going to be until league starts,” Cypress Coach Scott Pickler said. “Just look at all the good teams and how well they are doing.”

In the Southwestern Tournament:

Rancho Santiago 10-3, Arizona Pima 3-2--Rancho Santiago won its third doubleheader in three days to win the tournament in Chula Vista. The Dons lost in the opening game Thursday then won six in a row. Rancho Santiago began play Friday and Saturday with 8 a.m. games.

“We had to get up at 5:30 a.m.,” Rancho Santiago Coach Don Sneddon said. “We had to pack our suitcases each day then check back in when we won.”

Freshman Jim Gwaltney from Ocean View pitched five innings for the victory and Scott McCorgary pitched the final four for the save in Sunday’s first game. Raul Rodarte hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Robin Lindsey had two hits and three RBIs for the Dons.

Jeremy Sherman had two hits and an RBI in the second game for Rancho Santiago (9-1). Jeff Daniel (1-0) pitched six innings for the victory, and Jesse Rosas pitched the ninth for the save.

In the College of the Desert Tournament:

Riverside 4, Saddleback 2--Riverside (8-0) pitchers walked 12, but the Tigers won the tournament championship. Saddleback got a run in the third when Mike Roberts walked with the bases loaded.

Rob Nye had an RBI single in the ninth as Saddleback (4-3) cut its deficit to 4-2. The Gauchos went on to load the bases with one out, but Riverside got a double play to end the game. Saddleback left 11 on base.

In the Rancho Santiago Lidlifter softball tournament:

Long Beach 2, Orange Coast 0--Long Beach won the tournament title with its victory over a tired OCC team.

Orange Coast started the day at 8 a.m. with a 5-0 loss to Long Beach. The Pirates came back from a 5-0 deficit to eliminate Rancho Santiago, 11-6.

Orange Coast then eliminated Taft, 2-0, to reach the championship game. Alicia Nelson pitched 23 of OCC’s 28 innings and had seven hits in 13 at-bats.

In the Arizona softball tournament in Mesa, Ariz.:

Arizona Mesa 6, Fullerton 0--Fullerton finished the round-robin tournament at 2-3.