COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Saddleback Starts Quickly, Routs Orange Coast, 20-3

Saddleback scored 11 runs in the first inning and went on to a 20-3 victory over Orange Coast in an Orange Empire Conference baseball game Thursday in Mission Viejo.

The Gauchos (21-17, 11-12 in conference) moved into a three-way tie for fourth place. Orange Coast fell to 21-21, 11-12. Fullerton, which had a bye Thursday, is also 11-12. Saddleback beat Fullerton, 9-3, Tuesday.

Riverside, which beat Cypress, 6-4, Thursday, is in third at 12-11. The top two teams from the conference--Rancho Santiago and Cypress--already have earned automatic bids and the others will hope for one of the six wild-card berths into the Southern California playoffs.

Saddleback had 20 hits, including five doubles and four home runs. Sam Voita had an impressive day in the first inning. Saddleback sent 15 batters to the plate, with 11 in a row reaching base in one stretch.

Voita, hitting third, hit a two-run homer in his first at-bat and also had a two-run single. He also had double and scored three runs in the game.

Jose Gonzalez had a single, double and a home run and drove in four runs and Aaron Sepulveda also had a single, double and a home run and drove in three runs. Justin Greco, who had a three-run home run, drove in four runs.

Pat Antrim added two hits, two RBIs and scored three runs for Saddleback.

Danny Anderson (5-0) gave up two runs in the first inning and one in the second but shut out Orange Coast the rest of the way.

Hector Blanchet (4-6), the first of five Orange Coast pitchers, took the loss.