Community College Baseball: Pirates humbled by Jaguars

Nearly nine months without a loss was not long enough for Orange Coast College Coach John Altobelli to forget how humbling baseball can be. But barely into his 23rd season, the Pirates’ head man is also flush with the knowledge that the reset button can sometimes provide a new opportunity in less than 24 hours.

When OCC returns to action for a doubleheader beginning at noon Saturday at College of the Desert, it will do so without the benefit of a 16-game winning streak that began at the close of last season’s state championship run and continued in Thursday’s season-opening triumph.

The streak was halted by visiting Southwestern, which posted a commanding 9-3 nonconference victory Friday.

“[Thursday] we had a great come-from-behind win and today we kind of got our butts kicked,” Altobelli said after his program was bested for the first time since April 5 of last year. “But that’s baseball. It’s a humbling game. We’ll get here at 6:45 a.m. [Saturday] to drive to the desert and play two. Hopefully, we’ll get back on the horse.”

The horse stumbled quickly after the Pirates (1-1), ranked No. 1 in Southern California, took a 1-0 lead in the second inning Friday. The No. 6-ranked Jaguars (2-0) scored in four straight innings to assume control and cruise to the victory.

The Pirates committed three errors and issued four walks and one hit batter to add to the Jaguars’ 13-hit attack that was retired in order only twice.

OCC managed nine hits against three pitchers, but could muster nothing more than single runs in the second, sixth and seventh innings. OCC compiled all eight of its stranded runners in the final five innings, including leaving the bases loaded in the seventh.

Altobelli was displeased with his pitching, beginning with sophomore starter Scott Serigstad, a bounce-back from Grand Canyon University. Serigstad allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings to absorb the loss.

Relievers Tanner Murphy and Stephen Corona were also charged with runs and Andrew Frank hit a batter and walked another, both with the bases loaded, though no runs were charged to him.

Only Dylan Stablein, who fanned the only hitter he faced to end the fifth inning, escaped unscathed among Pirates’ pitchers.

Offensively, there were some highlights. For the second straight day, Stefan Panayiotou, a sophomore bounce-back from Chicago State, had two hits. Panayiotou, who is now four for six this season, doubled and later scored on Wyatt Hoppie’s sacrifice fly to put OCC up, 1-0, in the second inning.

Sophomore All-Orange Empire Conference returner Robert Longtree also had two hits and a run batted in, while sophomore all-state returner Tommy Bell drove in the other run with his first hit of the season.

Sophomore first baseman Cole Rutherford went two for three, but also hit into a double play and was doubled off first base after a line drive was caught, to end the second inning.

“We just have to get everybody going [offensively], at one time, instead of a couple here and a couple there,” Altobelli said. “It’s going to take time.”

Altobelli was more critical of his pitchers.

“I didn’t like the way [Serigstad] set the tone out there with his demeanor,” Altobelli said. “And I thought our relievers were very bad. They didn’t come in and establish a strike zone and they had no tempo. I told them afterward that they had to come in and pound the strike zone, right from the get-go. They don’t have the luxury of working out of situations like a starter would.”

Southwestern, which has allowed four runs in two games, was fueled by starter Adrian Orozco. The sophomore right-hander who transferred from UC San Diego, allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings to earn his first win.

The Jaguars had hits from eight spots in the batting order and from nine different players. They were led by freshman designated hitter Ray Peterson, who was four for five with triple and a walk and finished with two RBIs.

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Nonconference

Southwestern 9, Orange Coast 3

SCORE BY INNINGS

SW 002 113 020 – 9 13 0

OCC 010 001 100 – 3 9 3

Orozco, Grey (7), Faucher (7) and Sundahl, Sawyer (6); Serigstad, Stablein, (5), Murphy (6), Frank (6), Corona (7) and Pulcheon. W – Orozco, 1-0. L – Serigstad, 0-1. Sv – Faucher (1). 2B – Parayiotou (OCC), Perez (SW). 3B – Peterson (SW).