The Long Beach City College baseball team opened up the 2012 home schedule with a disappointing 10-0 non-conference loss to visiting Orange Coast College on Thursday at Joe Hicks Memorial Field.
Orange Coast (5-0) has won the first two of the three-game series and looks for the sweep on Friday (Feb 10) when the series concludes back at Orange Coast at 2 pm.
LBCC (1-2) couldn't handle the baseball out in the field and also couldn't figure out OCC starting pitcher Brandon Brennan.
The Vikings committed three of their season-high five errors in the contest in the top of the first inning.
Boog Powell bunted the first pitch he saw from LBCC sophomore starting pitcher Steven Gallardo (Hamilton HS) to lead off the game. Gallardo fielded the ball down the third-base line, but his throw sailed past first allowing Powell to go all the way to third. After a walk to Joel Licon, Chris Carlson hit a deep fly ball that was dropped by left fielder Daniel Catalan (Warren HS). Powell easily came in to score while Carlson and Licon advanced to second and third. Trent Woodward promptly singled to center to drive in two and Orange Coast was quickly up 3-0.
OCC added another run in the second after a Carlson groundout scored Powell. The Pirates broke the game open with four runs in the sixth and added two more in the eighth.
Long Beach managed just five hits in the contest, including four off Brennan. LBCC quickly erased any chances of a rally after grounding into three double plays.
Brennan (2-0) scattered four hits over seven innings and struck out four in the win. Powell went 3 for 5 with three runs while Carlson had 3 RBI on a 1 for 3 day at the plate.
Gallardo picked up the loss for Long Beach after allowing four runs (three earned) and four hits over five innings. Freshman Avery Flores (Millikan HS) went 2 for 2 to lead the Vikings at the plate.
Photo by Chris Ruiz