IRVINE, CA - The Cypress College baseball team picked up an important series opening victory on the road over Irvine Valley College on Tuesday, 3-2. The Chargers improved to 22-10 on the season and 7-6 in Orange Empire Conference play, just two games back of OEC leader Orange Coast. Game two of the three-game series with IVC is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Thursday at Cypress College.
Sophomore pitcher Jake Mahood (W, 4-3) received the win for the Chargers, retiring the first 19 IVC batters of the game before his perfect game was broken up after 7.1 innings. Mahood allowed only two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts in 7.2 innings of work. Riley Ohl got his first save of the season after pitching the final 1.1 innings.
Aaron Lizarraga (3-for-4, RBI) and Eric Chavarria (2-for-4) led the Cypress offense.
The Chargers got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, when Gilly Rodriguez (1-for-3, RBI) drilled an RBI single to left field.
Cypress added to their lead in the fifth as Eric Chavarria (2-for-4) hit a leadoff triple down the right field line, followed by an RBI single from Aaron Simpson (1-for-5, RBI). Lizarraga would score Simpson from third with two outs on an RBI double to left field, giving the Chargers a 3-0 lead.
The Lasers got their first hit and baserunner against Mahood with one out in the bottom of the seventh on a single from Colin Conroy. Conroy would score IVC's first run of the game on an RBI single from Dustin Angus to make it a 3-1 game.
Irvine added another run in the eighth, making it a one-run game heading into the ninth inning. With one out and the tying run on second, the Lasers lined out to second baseman Greb Lamb, who made the tag at second for a double play to end the game.
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