Vikings Fall to Orange Coast at Home

The Long Beach City College baseball team put up a fight but couldn't overcome a tough offensive performance from Orange Coast College, falling 16-4.

The Pirates struck first in the opening inning, scoring on a Viking error, taking an early 1-0 lead. Orange Coast came back again offensively with a big third inning, pushing across four runs to take control of the game.

Long Beach battled back in the fourth when second baseman Cross Stephens hustled home on an error, cutting the deficit to 5-1. The Vikings added another run in the eighth, courtesy of a sacrifice fly from first baseman Kyler Gloth that brought in designated hitter Sabin Tomlinson. They continued to fight in the ninth, with James De La O ripping a two-run double to score pinch hitters Erick Espinoza and Myles Fendrick, but it wasn't enough to close the gap.

Head coach Casey Crook expressed frustration with the team's inconsistency. "That was disappointing, we need to play more consistent baseball. It's been a little bit of a rollercoaster, so we still got work to do to get these guys focused for every game," Crook said.

On the mound, Logan Carr (0-2) took the loss, allowing five runs on five hits over four innings while striking out five. Adrian Arellano provided two solid innings of relief, allowing just one hit and no runs. Marcos Orizaba and Dylan Burton struggled in the later innings, with Orange Coast capitalizing on key opportunities to extend their lead. Kethan Vaquera and Alejandro Rosas finished the game, with Rosas tossing a scoreless ninth.

De La O emphasized the importance of staying ready for opportunities. "It's always important to stay ready," De La O said. "You never know when your name is going to get called to step up."

Long Beach will look to bounce back on Friday, February 14 against Cypress College at 1 p.m.