Pirates rally in ninth to top Bobcats, 10-9

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College baseball team came through when it needed to, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth to rally for a 10-9 win over visiting Saddleback College on Saturday at OCC's John Altobelli Ballpark.

The Pirates (19-17, 7-11 in the Orange Empire Conference) picked up a VERY needed win to snap a frustrating five-game losing streak, giving Coast some pep in their collective steps as they wrap up the regular season with a three-game series against Cypress on Tuesday at Cypress College, beginning at 2 p.m.

Coast trailed 9-7 after the Bobcats (21-16, 11-7) broke the tie in the top of the ninth, thanks to a two-run double off the bat of Cole Strane.

But the Pirates showed some fight when they needed it most. With Liam Stuppy on first base and one out, Andrew Chorbagian (2-for-5, one run, one RBI) fought off a tough pitch and used the OCC turf to bounce a chopper of the first baseman's head for a single, moving Stuppy to third. A strikeout and stolen base left Coast with the tying runs in scoring position with two outs. Tyler Covington stepped up and hit a grounder down the third base that eluded the glove of Saddleback third baseman for a bad-hop double down the line, scoring Stuppy and Chorbagian to tie the game at 9.

After Zach Boynton was intentionally walked, Gibson Rath came through with the game-winning hit just past the diving efforts of Strane at short. Covington came all the way around without a throw and the celebration began all around Rath as the Pirates pulled off the comeback win.

Covington finished the afternoon 3-for-4 with two runs -- including a three-run home run -- and six RBI. Boynton added a two-run home run to kick off OCC's offense in the first inning, while Stuppy and Ryan Farias anchored the bottom of the lineup and combined for three hits and four runs scored.

Saddleback jumped out to a 5-2 lead after four innings before Coast battled back to take a 6-5 lead in the fifth, thanks in large part to Covington's aforementioned three-run HR. Saddleback tied the game at 6 in the seventh before Coast regained the lead in the bottom of the frame, 7-6 on a Covington RBI-single to center.

But the Bobcats kept fighting back, tying the game in the eighth on a Wesley Hickey RBI single and grabbed a two-run lead in the ninth before the Pirate bats saved the day.

OCC's final regular season home game will take place on Thursday against Cypress, beginning at 2 p.m.