Mayne Ends Coaching Career With Victory No. 400

There will be no postseason play for Orange Coast College in baseball Coach Mike Mayne’s final season. But the Pirates were able to give Mayne a going-away present Saturday--victory No. 400.

The Pirates beat Saddleback, 10-4, in an Orange Empire Conference game to move into a third-place tie with Fullerton and Cypress on the final day of the season. However, OCC is the third team in the tie-breaker process and thus has no chance at a playoff berth.

Mayne was smiling, though, after completing his 15th season as head coach and 16th with the program. Mayne, who announced his retirement in March, finished 400-188, winning six conference titles and a State title (1980). He will remain at OCC as a teacher.

Mayne has had 16 of his former players reach the major leagues, including eight last season. There currently are five former OCC players in the big leagues, including Mayne’s son Brent, a catcher with the Royals.

“It’s been a good trip,” Mayne said. “But all the games seem to run together after awhile . . . The best thing was the players who came here and used this place as a launching pad to go on to the pros or to four-year colleges.”

OCC scored five runs in the first inning Saturday and got solid pitching from starter Chad Rolish (4-5) and reliever Mike Cutler.

Rolish, who didn’t make it past the second inning Thursday as OCC lost to Rancho Santiago, 15-5, pitched seven-plus innings Saturday. He allowed nine hits and four runs, three earned, and struck out seven.

Cutler allowed two hits in the final two innings to finish the game. Tuesday, he pitched a shutout as OCC beat Golden West, 8-0.

Justin Halper had two doubles and a triple and three runs batted in for OCC (21-15, 12-12), which had 17 hits.

Alphonzo Montoya had three hits and Daniel Hernandez, Greg Folsom, Scott Sebbo, and T.J. Graber each had two for OCC.

Hernandez was seeking to set the OCC single-season record for batting average as he started the game at .443. Joey James, who is in the Giants’ minor league system, hit .443 in 1986. Hernandez was two for five Saturday, to finish at .442.

Matt Maffei had his sixth home run and Mike Boucher had three hits for Saddleback (16-20-1, 9-15).

In other conference games:

Fullerton 13, Golden West 4--Fullerton (19-17-1, 12-12) gained a tie for third-place and a good chance at a playoff spot with the victory at Golden West. Fullerton tied for third with Cypress and Orange Coast, but the Hornets took three of four meetings against both teams.

Matt Wilson had three hits and five RBIs for Fullerton. Wilson had a two-run double in the fourth as Fullerton took a 3-0 lead. He added a two-run double in the ninth. Mickey Fortie had two hits, scored four runs, and drove in four and Sal Mancuso had four hits and scored two runs for the Hornets.

Aaron Charlton (7-5) allowed two hits, four runs and struck out five in the complete-game victory. Ben Mendoza was five for five, with one run scored and three RBIs for Golden West (15-21-1, 8-16).

Riverside 4, Rancho Santiago 3--Rancho Santiago led, 3-0, after four innings, but host Riverside (26-13, 14-10) scored three runs in the sixth and a run in the seventh for the victory. Darvin Traylor had a home run and Bobby Jones hit a two-run homer in the sixth for Riverside. Scott Wulfing had an RBI double in the seventh to put Riverside ahead, 4-3.

Chris Lugo had two hits, including a double, for Rancho Santiago (26-12, 17-7), which clinched its third consecutive conference title Tuesday.