COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Wilson’s RBI Single Sparks Fullerton Past Orange Coast

Tom Wilson’s bases-loaded single lifted Fullerton College to a 6-5 victory over Orange Coast in an Orange Empire Conference baseball game Saturday in Fullerton.

Wilson, a sophomore right-fielder, singled with one out in the ninth to break a 5-5 tie for Fullerton (20-12, 7-7 in conference).

He also scored Fullerton’s final run in a five-run fifth. Chris Johnson doubled with two outs to score Joe Perez from second. Wilson, coming from first, also raced toward the plate.

OCC catcher Mike Monday had the ball in time, but Wilson rammed into Monday, forcing the ball loose and giving Fullerton a 5-4 lead.

OCC (20-11, 5-8) came back to tie it, 5-5, with a run-scoring double by Joe Pence with two outs in the sixth.

OCC was silenced the rest of the way by Fullerton reliever Jim Burchit who had six strikeouts and allowed only an infield hit in three innings. Burchit (7-3), who pitched a complete-game victory Tuesday over Rancho Santiago, has 86 strikeouts and has allowed just 59 hits in 74 innings this season.

Fullerton’s winning rally started in the ninth with a walk to Darby Carmichael off starter Mike Cutler (5-2), who took the loss. Perez sacrificed and Frank Sarver was walked intentionally. Cutler was then replaced by Dan Redington.

The runners advanced when an OCC pickoff play failed as Redington threw the ball away at first.

Ramon Apodaca was walked intentionally to load the bases, and Wilson grounded a single sharply between third and shortstop to end the game.

Corey Parker had two hits, including a home run, and two RBIs for OCC.

In other Orange Empire Conference baseball:

Rancho Santiago 6, Golden West 5 (10 innings)--Jeff White of Rancho Santiago (28-6, 11-3) scored from second when Derek Ogle’s two-out, full-count pitch to Rob Reimers was in the dirt for a wild pitch.

Cypress 9, Saddleback 5--Tom Puppe went two-for-five with five RBIs to lead visiting Cypress (21-9, 8-6). Roger Weems (3-1) gave up eight hits in seven innings for the win.