Sokarda’s single lifts Pirates, 1-0

Patrick Laverty

Freshman Daniel Sokarda hit a high chopper over the first baseman’s

head with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th

inning to end an outstanding pitcher’s duel Tuesday and lift Orange

Coast College to a 1-0 victory in 11 innings over visiting

Southwestern.

“It was a hanging slider,” Sokarda said. “I was going to take the

first pitch, but I saw it was hanging. I went after it and good

things happened.”

Not much good happened for either offense throughout the game.

Southwestern starter Scott Deen was perfect through six innings

before OCC’s Matt Cline gave the Pirates their first baserunner with

a leadoff single in the seventh inning.

Pirates left-hander Steven Johns was just as good. He allowed just

four hits over eight innings and struck out eight, keeping Orange

Coast in the ballgame.

Southwestern (3-4) had just as much trouble against OCC reliever

Ryan Clear, who threw three scoreless innings and struck out four.

“Pitching has been our strongpoint all year and we needed it again

today,” Pirates Coach John Altobelli said.

When Deen exited the game after nine innings of two-hit ball,

OCC’s offensive prospects improved, but the Pirates (4-3) still

couldn’t push across the winning run.

A leadoff double by Jeff Piaskowski in the 10th inning gave OCC

hope and a pair of intentional walks loaded the bases with one out.

But right-hander Arturo Reyes entered the game and struck out Jarrod

Carchio and Garrett Young to end the threat.

Cline led off the following inning with a single to center field

and advanced to third on a perfect sacrifice bunt by Keith Mastel,

his second such bunt of the game. Mastel laid it down the third-base

line, forcing Southwestern’s Jorge Bravo to make the play and Cline

took advantage when nobody covered third base.

Attempting to repeat the Houdini-like escape of the 10th inning,

Southwestern again loaded the bases with two intentional walks, then

brought in left-hander Manny Hernandez to face Sokarda.

“I wanted it,” Sokarda said. “I wanted it bad after that at-bat I

had in the 10th inning where I fouled off a lot of pitches [then

grounded out].”

Johns, who was making his third start of the season, was helped by

quality defensive play. The Pirates turned four double plays in the

game, including three behind Johns.

The first of those double plays came in the fourth inning after

Johns had allowed the first hit of the game, a single by Deen that

glanced off Johns’ glove.

David Lievanos then lined out to Johns, who threw to first for the

double play.

In the seventh inning, after back-to-back, one-out singles by the

Jaguars, Johns induced a ground ball to Cline at shortstop who

started the double play.

The Pirates added an inning-ending double play in the eighth and

ninth innings as well.

The only other jam Johns found himself in came when Bravo led off

the fifth inning with a double down the left-field line. But Johns

connected with Cline on a back-door pickoff play, erasing the threat.

*--*

Nonconference

Orange Coast 1, Southwestern 0, 11

innings

Score by Innings

SW’ern 000 000 000 00 -- 0 5 0

OCC 000 000 000 01 -- 1 5 1

Deen, Ward (10), Reyes (10), Hernandez (11) and Palacios; Johns,

Clear (9) and Hazen. W -- Clear

(1-0). L -- Reyes. 2B -- Bravo (S),

Piaskowski (OCC).

*--*