Rancho Santiago Gets Past Cypress

Rancho Santiago’s baseball team completed a perfect first pass through Orange Empire Conference play, with an 11-7 victory over visiting Cypress Saturday.

Heath Bell, a freshman right-hander, turned in another strong pitching performance to get the victory.

Bell worked the final five innings in relief, giving up two runs on four hits to improve to 4-0. He made four appearances in the first six conference games, getting two victories and two saves.

“Bell has been the key for us in the whole first round,” Rancho Santiago Coach Don Sneddon said.

Bell entered Saturday’s game with the bases loaded, none out and Rancho Santiago holding an 8-4 lead. Bell got Craig Kuzmic, who already had a homer and a single, to hit into a double play but a run scored. Brian Flanagan grounded to third to end the threat.

Randy Case hit a home run off Bell in the sixth. Flanagan doubled and later scored when Nahum Renteria hit into a force play in the eighth that cut the lead to 8-7.

But Rancho Santiago had a three-run eighth that was capped by Josh Reding’s two-out double. Reding had four hits, including a two-run single that capped a five-run first for Rancho Santiago (19-1-1, 6-0). Case had three hits and scored two runs for Cypress (17-5, 3-3).