Gauchos stun Cypress in OEC opener (w/video)

The Saddleback Gauchos had a tough task out of the gate when asked to open Orange Empire Conference play with the always powerful Cypress Chargers.  The Gauchos responded, scoring four late runs in beating the Chargers 5-3 on Thursday afternoon at Doug Fritz Field.

After an early run to give Saddleback a 1-0 lead, Cypress looked like a team that was going to grind out a win after scoring solo runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings in taking a 3-1 lead with nine hits over the first five innings.  The Gauchos then played nearly perfect baseball for the next four innings, scoring two runs in the sixth inning and two more in the eighth while Evan Manarino shut down the Chargers the rest of the way.

Saddleback tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth when they finally got to starting pitcher Stephen Kane.  After a Noah Graham double to start the inning, Brandon Cody then singled home Graham and later scored on a Kyle Ferret single as the Gauchos clawed their way back into the game. 

Saddleback would then take the lead in the eighth inning and once again it was Graham as the catalyst.   He once again doubled to lead off the inning and was promptly replaced by the much speedier Tim Alhanati as the potential go-ahead run.  It would prove to be meaningless, as Cody tripled down the right field line to score Alhanati to give Saddleback a lead they would never relinquish.  The Gauchos then played classic small-ball in adding an insurance run, as Ferret laid down a suicide squeeze bunt and the throw to home from the pitcher was wild, scoring Cody and giving the Gauchos some cushion.  (VIDEO PROVIDED BELOW RIGHT)

Meanwhile, Manarino settled down after a rocky start and was brilliant down the stretch.  He surrendered no hits over the final four innings of work, retiring 11 straight Chargers before Cypress finally got a base-runner on an error with two out in the ninth inning.  Manarino then shrugged it off and quickly got Austin Case to hit a soft liner to short, and the celebration was on.  After picking up the win, he is now 5-0 on the season with a 1.80 ERA in 35 innings pitched.

Saddleback improved to 10-2 on the season with the win and 1-0 in Orange Empire Conference play.  The Gauchos will have Friday off before hosting rival Irvine Valley College on Saturday.  The first pitch is scheduled for 12:00 PM.

Check out the video highlights from Thursday's game provided by he Gaucho Sports Network.