Cypress Headed to State Tournament

In the past when Cypress has won a Southern California community college baseball playoff game to reach the state tournament, a wild celebration followed.

The players usually end up in a giant scrum near the mound, and soon after Coach Scott Pickler is covered with ice water. Once--in 1994--the coaches were all given buzz haircuts as well.

But Cypress made it to the state tournament for the fifth time this decade by beating visiting Cerritos, 13-6, Sunday and afterward, it had the look of any other game.

The players high-fived each other but were soon at work cleaning up the field.

“Right now we’re just hitting our goals we set and need to stay focused,” said sophomore center fielder Cory Sullivan, who made two key catches.

Sullivan hit the fence in left-center after a running catch in the fourth inning but came back with a better one in the seventh.

Cerritos (35-15) had cut Cypress’ lead to 8-6 on a two-run home run by Israel Torres. Sullivan reached well over the fence and got his glove on the ball but couldn’t hold it.

Carlos Morales, who was up next, lashed a liner that Sullivan ran down just before crashing hard into the fence in left-center field. He finished the inning by catching a line drive right at him.

Brandon Pack (three RBIs) started the seventh with his 11th home run and Cypress scored four more runs in eighth to put the game away.

Gerald Laird opened the first with his eighth home run and finished with three hits and three runs scored and Sullivan had three hits for Cypress.

The Chargers, who have won 11 in a row, scored 36 runs and got 49 hits in three straight regional victories.

Jon Fenoglio (5-0) pitched 4 2/3 innings of relief, giving up two hits and two runs, for the victory. Fenoglio, using his knuckle-curve, struck out the side in the eighth then made it four in a row when he got the first batter in the ninth.

Cypress, which has won state titles in 1991, 1994 and 1997, opens against Santa Rosa in Fresno in double-elimination state tournament.

“We have a lot of kids from winning [high school] programs and they understand what we have to do,” Pickler said. “They’ve won before and they just go about their business and get the job done.”