Pirates’ streak halted

COSTA MESA — One streak trumped another Thursday at Orange Coast College, where visiting Santa Ana pitcher Christian Meza extended his season-long unbeaten streak while snapping a 12-game winning streak for the host Pirates.

Meza, a freshman left-hander, struck out 13 in a complete-game effort that allowed the Dons to prevail, 4-2, in the Orange Empire Conference game.

Meza, who limited Fullerton to one hit in seven innings in his previous start Saturday, was moved up from his typical weekend assignment in order to take a crack at slowing what had, of late, been a pyrotechnic Pirates offense.

OCC had averaged 19 runs its previous two games, nearly 10 runs its previous 11 games and had averaged 17 hits its previous four games, during which it hit .414 as a team.

But Meza, who watched OCC’s 17-4 trouncing of the Dons from the dugout at Santa Ana College Tuesday, proved the axiom that good pitching beats good hitting, locating fastballs and breaking balls with equal aplomb.

OCC had two hits through five innings. Meza retired 13 in a row, before Ryan Sheets laced a one-out single up the middle in the sixth.

Sheets was caught trying to steal second, before Mykal Stokes singled. Then, OCC sophomore third baseman Drew Hillman stayed on a low breaking ball, launching it well beyond the left-field fence to give the Pirates (21-8, 12-3 in conference), ranked No. 1 in Southern California, a 2-1 lead.

It was the fourth homer of the year for the UC Irvine-bound Hillman, who exacted a measure of personal revenge after having fanned both of his first two at-bats.

“[Meza] made Hillman look ugly most of the day and Hillman is one of the top hitters in the conference,” OCC Coach John Altobelli said.

“[Meza] pitched a great game. We knew he was going to be tough coming in. He’s one of the better pitchers around; that’s why he’s undefeated [now 7-0].

“He had good velocity and good control of his breaking ball,” Altobelli said of the 6-foot, 170-pound Meza, a product of Loara High. “When you can do that, you’re usually pretty successful. Good pitching beats good hitting on any given day, even as hot as we were swinging the bats. We still had our chances, but that guy did a good job. You’ve got to tip your cap.”

As impressive as Meza was, OCC starter Calvin Drummond took a lead into the eighth, having limited the visitors to three hits.

But a leadoff walk to open the eighth, eventually scored to pull the Dons (21-9, 10-5), ranked No. 3 in Southern California, even.

Santa Ana greeted Drummond with a single and a double to start the ninth, knocking the freshman from Huntington Beach High out of the game. And when reliever Brett Williams was greeted with a sacrifice fly to center by James Davis, then an RBI single from Julian Duran, Drummond was tagged with the loss, his third in nine decisions.

“Calvin pitched great,” Altobelli said. “He made some mistakes on 0-2 pitches that he usually doesn’t make. But it was just a good ballgame.”

Meza now has 65 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings and he lowered his earned-run average from 3.86 to 3.58.

OCC had its leadoff batter each in the first, second, seventh and ninth innings, but failed to score each time.

Sophomore shortstop Beck Wheeler singled to open the ninth and, one out later, Rickey Stokes lined a single to left to put the potential tying run aboard.

But Meza included a pop to short by Ryan Dunn, then struck out pinch-hitter Gary Detwiler looking to complete his 10th start in style.

OCC, at least one game up on Cypress with seven regular-season conference games left, has three nonconference weekday games next week, before returning to conference play April 11 at home against Long Beach City.

“We’ve got to battle through [Thursday’s loss],” Altobelli said. “It’s one game.”

Mykal Stokes was two for three, while Cheeks and Wheeler were each two for four to pace the Pirates’ nine-hit attack.

OCC cleanup hitter Brett Wallach, who had four hits and pitched eight innings in Tuesday’s win, was one for four and struck out three times.

Orange Empire Conference

Santa Ana 4, Orange Coast 2

SCORE BY INNINGS

Meza and Davis; Drummond, Williams (9) and Arellano. W – Meza, 7-0. L – Drummond, 6-3. 2B – Gonzalez (SA). 3 B – Miller (SA). HR – Hillman (OCC).

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.