Baseball team can't get past Orange Coast
Apr 16, 2009
The Irvine Valley baseball team has had trouble with Orange Coast all season.
And Thursday was no exception. The Lasers dropped their third game to the Pirates this season and second in a row this week, falling, 5-2, in an Orange Empire Conference agme at Irvine Valley.
Orange Coast, which leads the conference standings and is ranked No. 1 in the state, improved its record to 26-9 overall and 14-3 in conference.
Irvine Valley, which is fighting for a playoff spot, dropped to 19-16 overall and 8-9 in conference.
The Lasers went into Thursday's contest a game behind Saddleback for fourth place in conference and two games behind Santa Ana for third place.
Irvine Valley hosts Santa Ana on Saturday at 12 p.m.
On Thursday, sophomore Matt Reyes took the loss on the mound for Irvine Valley. He went 5 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on nine hits and three walks. Reyes had three strikeouts. His record went to 4-4.
Calvin Drummond earned the win for OCC and improved to 7-2. He went 6 innings and gave up two runs on six hits. He walked three, hit two batters and had four strikeouts.
Orange Coast took the lead for good in the top of the third inning. With the game tied, 1-1, Drew Hillman hit a three-run home run off Reyes to put his team ahead, 4-1.
OCC added a run in the top of the sixth inning on a two-out RBI double by Ryan Sheeks to go up, 5-1.
Irvine Valley aswered with a run in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, sophomore first baseman Connor Rhoads and freshman catcher Bobby Gomez each singled. Sophomore third baseman Vince Hungerford then walked to load the bases.
Pinch hitter Alonzo Vasquez singled through the right side to score Rhoads. But the Lasers couldn't get any more. Drummond got IVC sophomore left fielder Kory Burkhart to ground out to third to end the inning.
Irvine Valley ended up leaving 12 runners on base in the game.
Brett Williams came in and pitched three scoreless innings to close out the game for OCC. He gave up two hits and a walk and struck out three.
For Orange Coast, Sheeks, Mykal Stokes, Scott Stidham and D.J. Arellano each had two hits.
Rhoads went 2 for 4 for the Lasers.