Baseball team wins at Cypress, 3-2
Apr 01, 2008
The Irvine Valley baseball team stayed within striking distance of first place in the Orange Empire Conference with a 3-2 win at Cypress Tuesday afternoon.
The win improved the Lasers' record to 22-9 overall and 6-2 in conference. Santa Ana and Orange Coast, who each won on Tuesday, remained tied atop the standings at 7-1.
Cypress slipped to 18-12 overall and 3-5 in conference. It was the Chargers' sixth straight loss - five of them coming by one run.
"It was a big win, especially since it was in Cypress' yard," IVC Coach Kent Madole said. "It also gives us the season series (two victories) against Cypress."
Irvine Valley hosts Cypress Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, Irvine Valley scored two runs in the top of the third, added a run in the top of the fifth and made it stand thanks to the pitching of freshman left-hander Jared Haller.
Haller had his best performance of the season, working 8 1/3 innings to get the win and improve his record to 6-2 on the season.
Haller gave up just three hits and two runs (one earned). He had one walk and one strikeout.
"He was outstanding," Madole said. "He hit all of his spots and kept the ball down. He just kept them off balance."
Cypress took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second against Haller. The run was unearned.
But the Lasers came back in the top of the third with two runs. Sophomore Brian Ferrante knocked in one of them, scoring freshman third baseman Vince Hungerford, on a fielder's choice. Sophomore left fielder Matt Ivanoff also scored on the play after Cypress committed a throwing error.
IVC added to its lead in the fifth when freshman first baseman Connor Rhoads singled up the middle to bring in sophomore Ferrante.
The Lasers led, 3-1, heading into the ninth when Cypress tried to rally. Haller recorded an out and then hit a batter. Sophomore closer Dean Persinger entered the game and gave up two straight hits to score one run and make it a 3-2 game.
But Persinger, facing runners on first and second with one out, got AJ Smith to ground into a game-ending double play.
Persinger earned his 11th save of the season.
Ivanoff, sophomore shortstop Abel Medina, Rhoads and Hungerford had the only hits in the game for IVC. But Irvine Valley did put a number of runners on base (seven reached on walks and two were hit by pitches).
"We had other opportunites to score and just couldn't get that clutch hit," Madole said. "It is something we always need to work on."
Medina was 1 for 2 with two walks. Freshman second baseman Sean Williams also walked twice for IVC in the contest.