IVC Lasers shutout Orange Coast Pirates
In-Fielder Clint Jack springs into action to catch a ball as a Orange Coast player slides into first base. (Photo by Niko LaBarbera)
The Irvine Valley College baseball team got a shutout victory over the Orange Coast College Pirates last Saturday with a score of 4-0. The Lasers now hold a record of 11-7 this the season and maintain the third place spot in the Orange Empire Conference standings.
Both IVC and Orange Coast started the game by playing strong defense, allowing neither team to score. This changed in the bottom of the second inning when Lasers first baseman Robbie Espinosa helped his team thanks to an error by Orange Coast, bringing the score to 1-0.
The game then entered a lengthy stalemate. Orange Coast players were denied any leads due to excellent teamwork from the Lasers and superb pitching from Ryan Abady. Fielders Clint Jack, Dillion Millar and Brett Hamilton all made key catches that prevented Orange Coast from scoring.
The standoff would finally end in the bottom of the eighth inning. IVC broke the silence with three runs provided by Jordan Gillerman, Cory Mendoza and Millar.
Orange Coast had one more attempt during the ninth. After two outs and a walked player by Abady, IVC ended the game victorious after Pirates player Jack Pulcheon was sent packing with a ground out.
First baseman Lucas Tancas, who was an impressive 2-4, was very proud of his team’s efforts.
“I thought we played defense really well,” Tancas said. “That was probably the reason we won the game. [Orange Coast] seated some balls up that we made some great plays on and I think that was the difference in the game.”
Designated hitter Robbie Espinosa shared Tancas’s sentiments.
“I think it went well,” Espinosa said. “We executed a lot better today. We found a lot of opportunities and when we had our chances we came through. Ryan Abady pitched a good game for us, kept us in it and I thought it was a good win for us.”
When asked about how he thought the game went, head coach Kent Madole refused to comment.
The Lasers will play their next game on Tuesday, March 10 against Saddleback College at 2 p.m.
