Kane Raises Interest in Saddleback Win

Kyle Kane’s live arm has made him a favorite of professional baseball scouts this spring, but his solid performance Saturday made him popular with his teammates at Saddleback College.

Kane gave up no hits in four shutout innings of relief as Saddleback defeated visiting Cypress, 8-5, and took over sole possession of second place in Orange Empire Conference.

Kane, a sophomore right-hander who transferred from Nevada, where he was an outfielder, spent much of this season as the designated hitter. He only started to pitch near the midway point. Since then, he has a drawn a big crowd. About 40 scouts were reported at one game earlier in the season. The number was closer to 25 Saturday as he was clocked in the mid-90s.

“I asked the coaches if I could throw,” Kane said. “I knew I could throw pretty hard . . . and I thought it would be fun.”

Kane has given up only one run--a home run to Rancho Santiago’s Joe Secoda--in 20 1/3 innings. He struck out four Saturday to increase his season total to 23. Kane also walked four Saturday, giving him nine on the season.

Twice Cypress advanced a runner to third, but Kane was able to get a fly out to end the sixth and a groundout to finish the eighth.

“It’s crazy,” Kane said about all the attention. “I came here as an outfielder . . . I’m learning something new everyday. Before I was just throwing, now I’m starting to pitch a little bit.”

Kirk Bolling, Jason Radwan and Johnny Nguyen each drove in two runs for Saddleback (30-6, 13-6). Radwan had a two-run home run in the eighth inning to put the Gauchos ahead, 8-5. It was Nguyen’s two-run single up the middle that put Saddleback ahead, 6-5, in the fifth.

Bolling hit his ninth home run in the first and added a run-scoring single in the third.

Randy Case had an RBI single in the first and a home run, his fourth, in the fourth, for third-place Cypress (29-9, 12-7). Greg Jacobs also hit a home run, his eighth, for Cypress.