Bates’ Late Homer Gives Cypress Shot at State Title

WILMINGTON — Jason Bates’ three-day itch is finally over.

Bates, Cypress College’s shortstop, has been sporting a good-luck goatee since Friday, saying he would shave only after the Chargers advanced to the State community college baseball tournament.

After breaking a 4-4 tie against Los Angeles Pierce with a towering home run in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday, Bates can finally break out his razor.

“It’s definitely coming off,” Bates said. “My face is itching like hell.”

Bates’ one-out blast to right field off relief ace Louis Birdt gave Cypress a 5-4 victory in the second game played Sunday between the two teams at Harbor College in the Southern California Regional finals.

With the victory, Cypress (33-15) moves on to the State finals next weekend in Sacramento.

Pierce (26-15) won the first game, 6-2, behind the pitching of Juan Soriano (4-0), who limited Cypress to four hits over eight innings. That effort forced a second game to determine the regional champion.

Cypress had taken a 4-1 lead by the fifth inning of the second game behind a pair of runs batted in by Tom Puppe, an RBI double by Doug McConathy and Francisco Vega’s run-scoring single.

But Cypress reliever Carlos Castillo, who had been effective for three innings, lost his control in the top of the sixth, walking the first three batters.

Pierce tied the score, 4-4, on an RBI single by Glenn Nahmias and a two-run single by Jim Wolf.

Cypress Coach Scott Pickler turned to right-hander Robert Legendre, who had thrown nine innings in a victory Friday over Harbor. Legendre (8-4) shut out Pierce on two hits the rest of the way for his second victory of the weekend.