Cypress, Calif. March 26- Cypress College Baseball comeback to beat OEC league opponent, Golden West College, at home last Thursday 5-1 after losing on the road to Golden West 5-4 two days prior.
Aaron Case
Cypress Chargers took on Golden West Rustlers at home trying to snap a two game losing streak. The first loss was to Fullerton at home 6-5 after 11 innings and then an on the road loss to Golden West 5-4. John Santospago said he felt the team’s attitude had changed knowing they were playing Golden West at home, “After losing on Tuesday, we knew we had to be more aggressive offensively and put the pressure on their defense to make plays. We did a good job of getting runners on and got some timely hits which helped us win.”
As the third and final match-up of the regular season between the OEC competitors,Cypress gained the tie breaker advantage over Golden West. Golden West clenched the first game between the two 7-6 and the second 5-4 in close games. With sights of a conference championship ahead, and having identical 4-4 OEC records, this became one of the most pivotal games of the season.
Tyler Gnesda, Nathan Kutcha, and Grant Mayeaux
After a slow start, the Chargers took the lead in the bottom of the third with two runs and another three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Jackson Willeford made a lasting impression going 3-for-3 with one walk and two RBI. On the mound, Nathan Kutcha collected nine strikeouts while only giving up six hits and pitched a shutout through eight straight innings.
Golden West tried to make a late comeback in the top of the ninth, but Cypress was able to close the door to preserve a 5-1 victory. “As a team, once we got the lead, we tried to keep the pressure on Golden West by throwing strikes, making plays, and getting runners on base,” said Nathan Kutcha, pitcher.
Justin Donovan, Grant Mayeaux, Tyler Gnesda, Jackson Willeford, and Jack Flansburg
After playing Golden West, Cypress went on to play Saddleback College in back to back games. John Forsythe said, “We’re using the momentum from the Thursday win and building off it to try and sweep Saddleback.”Cypress pulled off the sweep with scores of 4-1 on Saturday and 3-1 on Tuesday.
Cypress will be back at home to face Irvine Valley Friday, March 27 at 2 p.m.
