Pirates survive late Bobcat rally for 9-8 win

COSTA MESA -- Sometimes you just need some plain-ol luck to win a baseball game and for the Orange Coast College baseball team, some luck and some gritty pitching performances enabled the Pirates to slip past visiting Saddleback College, 9-8, on Tuesday at John Altobelli Park.

Leading, 9-3 after a strong starting performance by starter Dimond Loosli, the Pirates (9-12, 4-0 in the Orange Empire Conference) saw the Bobcats (12-7, 2-2) come to life at the plate with four runs in the seventh and had the tying run at the plate with nobody out, but closer Jackson Gilles came in and limited the damage there, keeping the Pirates up, 9-7.

Coast could not tack on more runs in the late innings so it came to the top of the ninth with Gilles still on the mound and the heart of the order coming up for the Bobcats.

Makani Tanaka led off with a single, then stole second and scored on an RBI single to right by J.C. Allen, putting the tying run on base with nobody out.

A sacrifice bunt moved Allen to second and Robert Gray followed with a high chopper to deep third base that was either going to A:elude the glove of OCC infielder Ethan Brand and tie up the game or at the very least, B: give Gray an infield single. 

The correct answer was C: None of the Above.

Brand climbed the ladder to snag the chopper and Gray tripped on his way to first base, allowing Brand to bounce a throw to first to retire the batter for the second out and leave the Allen at second.

Rodrigo Barajas, who launched a home run earlier in the game, hit a deep drive to left field, but J.T. Crabbe hustled back to the edge of the wall to make the catch and end the game with the Pirates on top.

Gilles MORE than earned his third save of the season. The freshman righty allowed just one run on two hits over three innings of relief, preserving the win for Loosli (3-2), who allowed just three runs on five hits with six strikeouts over the first six innings.

Zach Leite went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI and finished a triple shy of his second cycle of the season. Owen Wessel went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI, while Brand went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.

After both teams scored twice over the first three innings, Coast outscored the Bobcats 6-1 in the middle innings to take a 9-3 lead before the late-inning drama ensued.

Both teams will go at it again on Thursday at Saddleback College, beginning at 2 p.m. with the series finale back at OCC on Saturday at 12 p.m.