Sipkovich, Thompson Key OCC Past Golden West
Jim Sipkovich pitched a four-hitter and Brandon Thompson and Ryan France each hit two-run home runs as Orange Coast defeated Golden West, 4-1 in an Orange Empire Conference baseball game at Orange Coast College.
The victory ended a nine-game conference losing streak for the Pirates dating to April 17 of last season, when Orange Coast beat Golden West, 10-0.
Sipkovich, formerly of Marina High, walked four and struck out seven to pick up his first win at Orange Coast.
Golden West took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Leadoff man Jarrad Jones walked, advanced to third on a couple of groundouts and scored on Kevin Stuart’s single.
Orange Coast took the lead off Golden West Chad Spiker in the fifth inning when Ryan France had a one-out single and Brandon Thompson followed with a two-run homer.
France hit the home run the next inning with John Lukin, who had singled on base to make it 4-1.
In other conference baseball:
Santa Ana 3, Cypress 1--Heath Bell needed only 98 pitches to complete the game for first-place Santa Ana (16-2, 4-1).
Bell had five strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter. Santa Ana took a 2-1 lead in the second inning after capitalizing on three consecutive walks and an error. Rick Gonzalez hit his fifth home run of the season with two outs in the seventh. Cypress is 2-2 in conference.
In Orange Empire Conference women’s soccer:
Saddleback 7, Santa Ana 0--In addition to her five-hit shutout, Saddleback’s Tara Kroener was three for four at the plate with two RBIs. She improved her record to 7-0. Saddleback improved to 9-2 and 2-1 in OEC play. Santa Ana dropped to 5-7 and 2-1.
In Orange Empire Conference women’s tennis:
Orange Coast 6, Riverside 3--Orange Coast’s doubles teams swept, as did four of five singles players. Host Riverside (2-2, 4-2) received two points from defaults and earned the other from Mia Gutierrez’s 6-0, 6-1 singles victory. Orange Coast is 3-1, 4-1-1.
Saddleback 6, Fullerton 3--Nadia Naffa defeated Fullerton’s Meghan Walsh, 6-1, 6-0, in a victory for visiting Saddleback (4-3, 3-1). Naffa teamed with Tracie Fouret to defeat Sarah Barnum and Eileen Balanza in doubles, 6-2, 6-3. Fouret defeated Barnum in singles, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.