Community College Baseball: Pirates hammer Vikings

LONG BEACH — Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli wondered aloud earlier this week how nice it would be to have most of his lineup hot at the same time.

The Pirates gave him a taste of just that on Friday, when they clobbered host Long Beach City College, 18-3, in the opening game of a best-of-three Southern California Regional playoff series.

The win puts No. 10-seeded OCC (22-15) one win away from advancing to the second round. The two teams will play again Saturday at 11 a.m., with a third game, if necessary, to begin 30 minutes after the first game on Saturday.

OCC received hits from 12 players and batted around in the seventh and eighth innings, scoring five and seven runs, respectively, to break the game open.

Freshman center fielder Chris Prescott went four for five with two runs batted in and freshman third baseman Nick Grimes went three for four with three RBIs to lead the Pirates’ 20-hit attack.

The 20 hits and 18 runs were both a season-high for the Pirates, the defending state and mythical national champions who have won two straight after losing six off their previous seven.

OCC sophomore left-hander Art Vidrio allowed two runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings to earn the victory and improve to 8-1. Vidrio, the state tournament MVP last season who is now 5-0 in the postseason in his two seasons, has 16 career wins, tying for No. 6 in school annals. Vidrio had been tied for the No. 8 spot with former major league star Dan Quisenberry.

Vidrio, who surrendered only two hits through five shutout innings, is now 12-1 in his last 18 starts, dating back to last season. He struck out four and walked six.

Freshman first baseman J.T. McLellan was two for two with three runs and one RBI and sophomore second baseman Chaneng Varela was two for five with one run and one stolen base for the winners, who have now won three of four games this season against Long Beach (20-17), the champion of the Pacific Coast Conference.

Freshmen pinch-hitters Mondesi Gutierrez (three-run triple) and Jake Pulcheon (two-run double), as well as freshman left fielder Stefan Panayiotou (one for four with two RBIs and two runs) also contributed to the carnage against six Vikings pitchers.

OCC freshman reserve Wyatt Hoppie was two for two with one run after taking over for Grimes at third base. The Pirates’ Nos. 8 and 9 spots in the batting order were a combined nine for 11 with a walk.

Casey Costello, who entered with one out and the bases loaded in the seventh, retired the first two hitters he faced to execute damage control.

Cody Maples pitched a scoreless ninth inning, which ended with a double play.

OCC sophomore shortstop Jeff Nellis, who entered the game on a 14-game hitting streak, went zero for five to snap the streak.

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Southern California Regional Playoffs

Orange Coast 18, Long Beach 3

SCORE BY INNINGS

OCC 010 320 570 – 18 20 1

LBCC 000 000 210 – 3 7 3

Vidrio, Costello (7), Maples (9) and Kruger, Friedman (7); May, Gomez (5), Timmons (7), Roberts (7), Varonos (8), Davis (8) and Castaneda, Rodriguez (7). W – Vidrio, 7-1. L – May, 4-3. 2B – Bell (OCC), Kruger (OCC), Hazell (OCC), Pulcheon (OCC), Prescott (OCC), Gutierrez (OCC), Tiedemann (LBCC).