Cypress Wins, Clinches Conference Title

Few coaches can rival Cypress’ Brad Pickler when it comes to dragging out a special moment.

Pickler was at his best Friday as Cypress beat visiting Fullerton, 2-0, to clinch the Orange Empire Conference softball title.

With two outs in the seventh inning and starting pitcher Jamie Wilkes rolling along, he went to the mound for a meeting of his infielders.

“I told them to just look around and take it all in,” Pickler said. “This doesn’t happen all the time. We haven’t won a title here since 1993. I’m going to be here a long time, but they will have only one or two chances at a championship.”

After the umpire broke up the gathering, Wilkes got the final out to complete her three-hitter.

Wilkes (23-5) retired the final 14 batters she faced, and 19 of the last 20. It was the second time she had beaten Fullerton, 2-0, this season.

“I think she should be the pitcher of the year in the [conference],” Pickler said.

Cypress is 43-13 and 17-3 in conference with one game left. Fullerton (31-10, 15-5) falls into a second-place tie with Rancho Santiago.

Wilkes, who got 14 ground outs, gave up two hits in the first inning but was able to escape.

She then went to the bullpen to continue to throw while her teammates where hitting.

“I couldn’t hit my spots in the first inning,” she said. “I needed to get the ball down.”

Cypress scored in the second when reliever Kristy Osborne walked Christina Megowan with the bases loaded after Lise Delligatta, Danielle Lindgren and Stacy Humphries started the inning with singles off starter and loser Lynette Velasquez (4-5).

Velasquez had beaten Cypress, 2-0, in the teams’ last meeting.

The Chargers scored again in the fifth on Lindgren’s sacrifice fly that drove in Autumn Gwinner, who had single to open the inning.

It was the fourth conference title for Pickler, who is in his 10th season at Cypress. The victory also improved his all-time record to 399-145.

He goes for No. 400 at 7 p.m. Monday at Saddleback.

In other conference games:

Rancho Santiago 2, Irvine Valley 0--After walking and stealing second, Kristi Bolle scored the game-winning run on an error in the top of the first inning. Rancho Santiago is 32-16, 15-5. Irvine Valley is 17-27, 4-16.

Saddleback 2, Golden West 1--Saddleback took advantage of two errors to score two unearned runs in the second. Windy Scofield pitched a four-hitter with seven strikeouts for fourth-place Saddleback (29-10, 14-6), which is in the running for an at-large playoff berth.