Whitmer's gem lifts Pirates past Chargers, 2-1

CYPRESS -- In a place where losses are as common as sunlight, the Orange Coast College softball team left host Cypress College in the dark on Friday with a 2-1 upset win over the defending-state champion Chargers in a crucial Orange Empire Conference matchup.

With the win over the Chargers (26-7, 11-4), the Pirates (19-11, 9-5) stay within a game of Cypress for second place in the OEC standings and pushed their third-place cushion on Golden West (13-12, 7-8) by three games with just six games remaining in the regular season.

Isabel McElroy got the Pirates off on the right foot against powerhouse pitcher Kaitlyn Reynolds (24-7) with a double to left field in the top of the first. A sacrifice bunt by Natalie Lowthers moved McElroy to third and a sacrifice fly to center by Jasmyn Morales scored McElroy to put Coast up, 1-0.

OCC pitcher Angela Whitmer silenced a Cypress squad that entered the game with a team batting average over .335. She allowed an unearned run in the third but kept the Chargers off the scoreboard the rest of the way. The sophomore standout allowed six hits with three walks and three strikeouts, improving her record to 11-4. 

In the top of the sixth, the Pirates pushed across the game-winner. Erica Rodriguez pinch-hit and led off with a single to right field. A bunt single by McElroy and Cypress error moved pinch-runner McKenzie Koshi to third and two batters later, Morales had another successful out, scoring Koshi on an RBI ground out to third to put Coast up, 2-1.

The Chargers had their leadoff runners on base in five of the seven innings played (including the last four) but Whitmer calmly made big pitch after big pitch to leave those runners on base and off the scoreboard. In the seventh, after a leadoff single for the Chargers, Whitmer struck out the next batter and coaxed a pair of fly ball outs to center to end the game, giving OCC a win a Cypress College for the first time in recent memory.

Coast will return to action on Tuesday at Santa Ana College, beginning at 2 p.m. OCC's next home game will take place on Thursday against the Dons, also at 2 p.m.