Pirates top Bobcats, 5-3 in 11 innings to take series

MISSION VIEJO -- After an incredible comeback win on Thursday against Saddleback College, the Orange Coast College baseball team repeated the trick on Saturday and topped the Bobcats, 5-3, in 11 innings to take the season series against one of the top teams in the Orange Empire Conference.

Things looked grim early on for the Pirates (16-10, 3-6 in the OEC) as the Bobcats (18-6, 6-3) answered OCC's first-inning run with a walk, single, walk and two-run single that scored three runs, putting Saddleback up 3-1 before an out was even recorded. But Coast starter Sawyer Spivey regrouped and retired the next three batters to end further damage. 

From there, Spivey and relievers Lyndon Glidewell, Chase Rousselo and Dimond Loosli kept Saddleback off of the scoreboard for the next TEN innings, holding the Bobcats to just seven hits for the game and 14 strikeouts. Spivey threw 5 2/3 innings and struck out seven, Glidewell allowed no hits and five Ks over 3 1/3 innings, Rousselo (4-0) threw a hitless, scoreless 10th and Loosli earned his second save with a hitless, scoreless 11th. 

After a run-scoring double by Zach Dickason in the first, OCC picked up runs in the third and fourth innings to tie things up. In the third, Alec Gomez led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a fly out and scored an a Dickason grounder to second. In the fourth, a one-out walk by Ethan Brand was followed up two batters later on an RBI-double off the bat of J.T. Crabbe, tying the game at 3.

It stayed that way all the way until the top of the 11th, when the Pirates found just enough offense to take the lead for good. Brand started things with a single up the middle. Pinch-runner Owen Wessel stole second and advanced to third after Kyle Koppelmaa reached on an error. Koppelmaa stole second, putting runners on second and third with nobody out. After a pop up for the first out, Taylor Takata hit a grounder to second and the throw home was late as Wessel slid in and scored to put the Pirates up, 4-3. Two batters later, Evan Scalley singled to left to score Takata to make it 5-3.

Loosli pitched the bottom of the 11th and opened with a walk, but that runner was left stranded at second after a ground out, strike out and fly out ended the Bobcats' rally.

Coast will return to action on Tuesday at John Altobelli Park against Fullerton College, beginning at 2 p.m. Game 2 of the three-game series will be at OCC on Thursday (2 p.m.) with the series finale on Friday at Fullerton College (2 p.m.).