Santa Ana Goes by the Book in Baseball Victory
Santa Ana got 16 hits and an assist from the rule book in a 16-6 victory over visiting Orange Coast in an Orange Empire Conference baseball game Saturday.
The difference was in the bullpens. Santa Ana reliever Heath Bell gave up one hit, an unearned run, and struck out four in the final 2 2/3 innings for his third save.
Orange Coast’s five relievers gave up 10 runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Orange Coast starter Chad Gonzalez, who took a 5-3 lead into the sixth, gave up a double to Chad Elliott and a run-scoring single to Reggie Nelson, prompting a visit from pitching coach Josh Belovsky.
Pirates Coach John Altobelli brought in reliever Chris Reidel after Gonzalez had a 2-and-0 count on Bao Vinh. But Santa Ana Coach Don Sneddon argued that Gonzalez had to stay because of a rule that states coaches can’t make two visits to the mound while the same batter is up.
Once Sneddon handed them a rule book, the umpires studied the case before ordering Gonzalez, who was on the bench with ice on his arm, to return to the mound.
“The only reason I did it was because I wanted to get the thing right,” Sneddon said. “I knew I was 100% correct.”
Vinh singled up the middle to drive home Nelson to tie the score, 5-5.
Joe Hurka’s two-run single off Reidel, who later was allowed to pitch, made the score, 7-5. Santa Ana picked up another run in the inning on reliever Brandon Thompson’s wild pitch.
Santa Ana scored three more in the seventh and five in the eighth.
Hurka had three hits and four runs batted in and Nelson and Albert Rodgers each scored three runs, got three hits and had two RBIs for Santa Ana (28-9, 12-7) which is tied for second place with Saddleback. Both are a game behind Riverside.
Ivan Loochkartt hit two home runs and John Lukin had one for Orange Coast (18-17, 7-12).
In other conference games:
Riverside 10, Golden West 9--Ben Rosenthal’s two-run single in the ninth lifted visiting Riverside.
Down by a run in the top of the ninth, Riverside (27-9, 13-6) loaded the bases with no outs on two singles and a throwing error.
Golden West (16-17, 7-12) stranded the tying run on third base in the bottom of the ninth. Riverside’s Cody Trask got his first save.
Saddleback 7, Cypress 4--Greg Pines’ two-run double capped a three-run seventh for host Saddleback. Kirk Bolling had three hits, including his 11th home run, and three runs scored for the Gauchos (26-9, 12-7). Brandon Smith hit two home runs for Cypress (19-18, 9-10).
At the Orange Empire Conference tennis championships:
Koga wins--Kunio Koga of Saddleback defeated teammate Dan Roditi, 6-4, 6-2, to win the conference singles title. Saddleback’s Khaled Naffa and John Cappollo defeated Koga and Roditi, 7-6, 6-1, in the doubles finals.