Orange Coast Rallies, Stays Alive in Southern California Playoffs

Orange Coast Coach John Altobelli says anything can happen in a community college baseball game.

True. His team rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 11th inning to defeat San Diego Mesa, 9-8, in a Southern California baseball playoff game Saturday at Los Angeles Harbor College.

The Pirates (28-20) trailed, 8-7, heading into the bottom of the 11th and were two outs away from concluding the season when left fielder Paul McDaniels singled and stole second base. Greg Folsom, then stroked a triple into the right field gap, driving in McDaniels and tying the score, 8-8.

T.J. Graber then lifted a fly ball deep enough to right field to bring in Folsom with the winning run, who slid head-first into home plate, more out of emotion than necessity.

The Pirates were down, 7-2, in the bottom of the eighth, but scored five runs in the inning and chased Mesa’s starter Alfredo Enano. Mesa ends the season 30-16.

In the Pirates’ first game, the McDaniels-Folsom combination produced back-to-back home runs in the sixth to lift OCC past Los Angeles Harbor, 10-7, at El Camino College.

The Pirates face Long Beach City College at 11 a.m. today at Los Angeles Harbor, with a berth to the State tournament at stake.

For OCC to advance, they’ll have to beat the Vikings twice because they haven’t lost a game in the double-elimination tournament.