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COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Cypress Scores Six Runs in Third Inning, Pounds OCC

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Kevin Cook hit a grand slam and Jason Bates had a bases-empty home run as Cypress defeated Orange Coast, 11-3, in an Orange Empire Conference game Saturday in Cypress.

OCC took a 1-0 lead in the second, then Cypress responded with six runs in the third. But it was a rally that shouldn’t have happened.

Abijah Alastra was hit by a pitch to open the inning. He stole second and later scored on a wild pitch to tie it, 1-1. Bates grounded out to first for the second out and Troy Babbitt drove the ball to left-center for what should have been the final out of the inning.

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OCC center fielder Joe Pence started after the ball, fell down, recovered in time, but the ball went off his glove for a two-base error. Doug McConathy then was hit by a pitch, and Tom Puppe doubled in Babbitt to give Cypress a 2-1 lead. Sean Drinkwater walked to load the bases and Cook, a sophomore outfielder, drove a breaking pitch over the left-center fence off starter Duane Page (1-2). It was Cook’s seventh home run.

Cypress pitcher Robert Legendre (3-1), a freshman right-hander who threw mostly fastballs, allowed nine hits, struck out six and walked one in the complete-game victory that took slightly more than two hours. Legendre was helped by four double plays, two started by shortstop Bates, one by second baseman Sean Drinkwater and the other by first baseman McConathy. Drinkwater also went far up the middle to take a hit away.

Babbitt’s RBI single in the fourth gave Cypress a 7-1 lead. The Chargers added four in the seventh. Bates led off with his third home run. Matt Wilson had a two-run single and Alastra had a one-run single in the inning for Cypress (15-7, 5-4 in conference).

Scott Sebbo led off the fifth with his second home run for OCC (13-10-1, 2-7).

In other Orange Empire Conference games:

Fullerton 5, Riverside 4--Fullerton (16-11, 3-6) stopped a six-game losing streak with the victory at home. Tom Wilson hit a two-run home run in the seventh to give Fullerton a 5-4 lead. Wilson (1-1) also pitched the final 3 1/3 innings for the victory. Gary Adcock took the loss for Riverside (18-7, 4-4).

Saddleback 11, Golden West 5--Brian Walker had four hits, including a home run and a double, scored three runs and drove in two for host Saddleback (9-11, 3-6). Zak Krislock (4-3) pitched his third consecutive complete game and fourth of the season for Saddleback. He allowed 13 hits, and struck out seven.

Brad Porter and Lou Benbow had back-to-back home runs in the eighth for Saddleback. Walker’s came two outs later in the same inning.

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Brian Mena and Gerad Cawhorn hit consecutive home runs in the ninth for Golden West (10-10, 5-3).

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