Kuzmic Powers Cypress Past Riverside, 11-7

Craig Kuzmic continued his torrid hitting pace with a home run and a double to help Cypress to an 11-7 victory over visiting Riverside Saturday in an Orange Empire Conference baseball game.

Kuzmic started the third with a home run to snap a 3-3 tie. He also had a sacrifice fly. In three games this past week, he was nine for 12 with four doubles and two home runs.

Kuzmic had a home run and a double in a 12-4 victory over Fullerton Tuesday, then three singles and two doubles in a 10-6 loss to Fullerton Thursday. He started with a double and home run Saturday to give him seven consecutive hits over two games.

The hit streak stopped in the fourth inning when his liner to center was good for a sacrifice fly that gave Cypress a 5-3 lead.

Kuzmic, a sophomore catcher from La Quinta High, drove in seven runs and scored six in the three games.

“I’m starting to stand up more at the plate and see the ball better,” Kuzmic said. “Before I was too hunched over.”

Greg Jacobs added a run-scoring double in the fourth to put Cypress ahead, 6-3. Scott Daeley then scored from third and Jacobs from second when Riverside catcher Chet Savage had trouble finding the ball after a wild pitch.

Cypress (25-7-1, 8-5), which moved into third place, a game ahead of Riverside (26-7, 7-6), sealed the victory with three runs in the sixth. The final two came home on a two-out single to center by Nahum Renteria.

It was the second key play in the inning for second baseman Renteria. In the top of the inning he had moved well to his left to get a grounder then twisted and threw to shortstop Junior Rodriguez, who dug out the throw, then threw to first to complete the double play.

“I really thought that play helped turn the momentum back to us,” Cypress Coach Scott Pickler said.

Richard Sundstrom (5-3) gave up seven hits and struck out eight in seven innings for the victory. Cypress took a 3-0 lead in the first on four consecutive doubles by Kuzmic, Jacobs, Brian Flanagan and Randy Case.