After Winning, Cypress Has More of the Answers

Brad Pickler, the Cypress College softball coach, has listened to the same mocking question from friends for almost a month.

They didn’t care about the impressive overall record of Pickler’s team or the fact that the Chargers have won six tournaments. All they wanted to know from Pickler is where his team was in the standings.

Pickler had to sheepishly explain that the Chargers were in second place until Monday, when they moved into a first-place tie in the Orange Empire Conference by beating Fullerton, 2-0, behind the pitching of sophomore Jamie Wilkes.

“They are doing a great job,” Pickler said of his team. “But my friends are a lot tougher on me than I am on [my players].”

Pickler started to motivate Cypress (46-3, 11-1) after the Chargers lost, 3-2, in nine innings to Fullerton (26-10, 11-1) March 12.

His campaign included posting signs around the field to remind the players that they were in second place.

Some, including Wilkes, said it was annoying but ultimately effective.

Wilkes (27-2) gave up six hits and only retired Fullerton in order once, in the third. But she didn’t walk a batter and got 16 ground outs. Cypress made no errors. Wilkes is the school’s all-time victory leader with 53 and is closing in on the single-season record of 29, set by Laura Corson in 1991, the year Cypress won the state title.

“She keeps the ball low,” Pickler said of Wilkes. “She hits her spots and she’s got a good defense and she makes [the opposition] keep the ball in play.”

Cypress scored both runs in the third.

Rockie Vandiver led off with a walk, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and took third on a wild pitch. She scored when Melissa Beck doubled down the left-field line. Beck went to third on a groundout and scored when Autumn Gwinner singled with two outs.

Lynette Velazquez had three hits, including a double, and Kristy Bonwell had two singles for Fullerton. Bonwell reached third with two outs in the fifth and Velazquez got to second twice.

Cypress and Fullerton meet for the final time in conference play April 23 in a game that should decide the title.

“[This game] wasn’t as intense as last year,” Wilkes said. “But I think it will be the next time we play.”