COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Rancho Santiago Rolls On in Orange Empire

Rancho Santiago, picked to finish third in the Orange Empire Conference, gained a share of the title with a 13-2 victory over Saddleback Saturday in Mission Viejo.

Rancho Santiago (34-8, 16-5 in conference) can clinch the title with a victory Tuesday when the Dons play host to Orange Coast in a 2:30 p.m. game. Rancho Santiago also has home games against Riverside on Thursday and Fullerton on Saturday.

The Dons, who have won titles in 1988 and last season under Coach Don Sneddon, started the conference race with eight consecutive victories and built a three-game lead. They have stayed in front by at least 1 1/2 games.

“This is exciting for this club,” Sneddon said. “The last part of the race with everybody beating everybody is how it should have been all along. We just got on a roll early.”

Rancho Santiago’s chances in the upcoming playoffs were also helped by the return of sophomore right-hander Paul O’Hearn.

O’Hearn, who had not pitched in three weeks because of a sore back, threw a seven-hitter Saturday, struck out five and walked one. He improved to 9-0. O’Hearn last won April 1 at Saddleback.

Steve White had four hits, including a home run as he bashed Saddleback pitching for a second time. In two games at Saddleback, he was 10 for 11, including two home runs, four runs scored and four batted in.

Steve Grack also continued to hit well at Saddleback. He had three hits, including two doubles, and three RBIs Saturday. He was six for 10 with five doubles, and six RBIs in the two games at Mission Viejo.

Octavio Medina and White had four hits, Mark Wasikowski and Grack had three each and Wayne Hefft and Raul Rodarte had two each as Rancho Santiago had 19.

Wasikowski had three RBIs and Sean Ramos and Rodarte had two each.

Brian Walker had a two-run single for Saddleback (14-22, 6-16), which cut the lead to 3-2 in the third. But Rancho Santiago got one each in the fourth and fifth, two in the sixth, one in the seventh and five in the ninth.

In other Orange Empire Conference games:

Riverside 3, Cypress 2--Gary Adcock pitched his 11th complete game, a seven-hitter, for host Riverside (13-8, 29-11). Robert Legendre (5-3) allowed six hits but took the loss.

Troy Babbitt and Doug McConathy had RBI singles in the eighth for Cypress but Adcock (8-3) came back to get the final two batters and end the threat. He retired Cypress in order in the ninth. The victory gives Riverside a 1 1/2 game lead over third-place Cypress (26-13, 12-10).

Golden West 8, Orange Coast 7--Vince Torres hit a two-run home run in the ninth to give visiting Golden West (14-19, 9-12) an 8-7 lead. Chad Rolish took the loss for Orange Coast (24-16-1, 6-13).