Cats outlast Chargers for key win

The Saddleback baseball game defeated Cypress College, 5-4, on Tuesday afternoon at Doug Fritz Field.  The win moved the Bobcats into a tie for second place in the Orange Empire Conference.

Saddleback and Cypress played each other tight for most of the game on Tuesday as neither team led by more than one run the entire game.  The Bobcats got the last laugh, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom half of the eighth inning to escape with a narrow victory. 

Saddleback had two runs cross the plate in the bottom half of the eighth inning after Cypress had scored twice in the top half of the inning to take the lead.  The Bobcats were helped out when Rodrigo Barajas scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 4-4.  Saddleback then scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly from Bryson Hoier to score Jason Wright, after Wright had advanced to third base on a throwing error by the pitcher. 

Saddleback's pitching staff was solid for most of the day, allowing only five hits in the game.  Damon Anderson Wolf started and went five innings before giving way to Dylan Blakey in the sixth inning.  Blakey (pictured) pitched three innings and was the pitcher or record in improving to 5-2 on the season.  Ryan Seymour came into the game in the ninth inning to record his second save of the season. In total, Saddleback pitchers recorded five strikeouts on the day.

Saddleback is now 21-13 overall and 9-7 in Orange Empire Conference play following the win. The Bobcats are tied with Santa Ana College and Fullerton College for second place in the Orange Empire Conference standings, two games back of Golden West College. 

Saddleback and Cypress resume the series at Cypress on Thursday at 2:00 PM.

GAME NOTE:  Makani Tanaka extended his hit streak to 34 games with a single in the first inning.