MISSION VIEJO, CA – The Cypress College baseball team picked up an important Orange Empire Conference road victory in game two of their best-of-three series with Saddleback College (25-11, 10-7 OEC) on Thursday, 10-6.

The Chargers moved to 24-12 overall and 9-8 in OEC play, just one game back of the Gauchos for second place, with the rubber match scheduled for 12:00 pm Saturday at Cypress College.

Connor McCollum (W, 6-1) received the win for Cypress after tossing 6.2 innings on Thursday. McCollum allowed five runs on six hits and four walks, while notching one strikeout. Freshman outfielder Jesse Lopez (3-for-5, 5 RBI, HR) and sophomore outfielder Aaron Simpson (3-for-6, RBI) led the Cypress offense.

The Chargers got on the board first with no outs and two runners on in the top of the second inning. Lopez drilled an RBI double down the left field line, scoring Aaron Lizarraga (2-for-3) to take a 1-0 lead. Cypress erupted for eight more runs in the fourth, highlighted by a Lopez grand slam over the left field wall to take a commanding 9-0 lead.

The Gauchos answered with a run in the fourth and fifth innings before the Chargers added another to their total in the seventh on an RBI single from Dominic Campeau (2-for-5, RBI). Saddleback made it interesting after scoring four runs in the bottom of the seventh, but Cypress was able to hang on to take game two over the Gauchos, 10-6.

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