Cypress Wins Share of Conference Title

Cypress clinched at least a tie for the Orange Empire Conference baseball title Thursday by beating host Santa Ana, 13-11. But a much bigger prize is still to be decided.

Cypress (29-12, 16-7) holds a one-game lead over Saddleback, which had a bye Thursday. But Saddleback can still earn a share of the title and the conference’s top-seeded team for the playoffs by beating host Cypress when the teams play at noon Saturday.

Saddleback has won two of the three meetings between the teams this season.

“Boy, it’s going to be fun,” Cypress Coach Scott Pickler said. “You play all year and to have it come down to the last day, that’s exciting.”

Cypress, which has won five in a row, increased its lead late in the game thanks to sophomore Shaun Larkin. He hit a home run to start the eighth then added a three-run homer in the ninth that gave the Chargers a 13-9 lead.

Santa Ana rallied for two runs in the ninth, but Cypress reliever Jake Moon struck out Tommy Duarte with two runners on for the final out of the game.

Larkin was four for six with four runs batted in and has eight home runs this season.

Brandon Pack also hit his eighth home run for Cypress, which beat Santa Ana in three of four meetings.

Richard Lane hit his 14th home run, which ties him for the conference lead, and had a double and single for Santa Ana (28-13, 11-12).

The Dons have lost three in a row and will finish fifth in conference.

In another conference game:

Orange Coast 17, Fullerton 7--Visiting Orange Coast (26-17, 13-10) clinched at least fourth place with the victory that included a nine-run sixth. John DiCorpo had a three-run double in the sixth also had a run-scoring triple later in the game.

Orange Coast has a chance to move into a third-place tie by beating Riverside when the teams play at noon Saturday at OCC. Both teams will likely make the playoffs but the third-place team will get a better draw in the 16-team field.

Riverside defeated Golden West, 22-6, Thursday.

Fullerton is 19-24, 6-17.