COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Cypress Scores 11 in the Fifth to Blast Fullerton

Jeff Pickler had five hits, scored four runs and drove in two as Cypress beat Fullerton, 19-3, in the Orange Empire Conference baseball opener for both teams Saturday at Cypress.

Cypress, the defending conference champion, put the game away with 11 runs in the fifth inning to take a 15-0 lead.

Mario Opipari and Pickler, son of Cypress Coach Scott Pickler, each had two-run doubles as the Chargers sent 17 batters to the plate in the fifth. Dean Yeager had the only home run, a two-run shot, in that marathon inning.

Augie Ojeda and Pickler each had two hits in the inning, which Fullerton aided with two errors.

Pickler, Opipari, Yeager, Israel Gonzalez, Brooks Morris and Keith Ginter each had two runs batted in for Cypress (14-2-1, 1-0), which had 20 hits.

Mike Cosgrove (3-0) allowed three hits and no runs in seven innings to get the victory. Fullerton is 14-2, 0-1.