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Cypress Box Score (Game 1)
Cypress Box Score (Game 2)
Cypress Box Score (Game 3)
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – College of the Canyons baseball team was on the losing end of the best-of-three regional playoff games on Saturday afternoon, as the visiting Cypress College Chargers defeated COC in two games. The No. 8 Cougars had won the first game on Friday afternoon, 4-0, but dropped the next two games on Saturday, 9-3 and 11-9, to No. 9 Cypress. By Saturday afternoon, the Cougars’ bullpen was so depleted that the Cougars looked to Western State Conference Player of the Year and second baseman Brian Hernandez to pitch the final three innings of Saturday’s match-up.
In game one, COC easily won 4-0 with the help of starting pitcher Caleb Deville who threw a four-hit shutout. The shutout was the first for Deville (10-1) during his collegiate career and the first for any member of the 2008 baseball squad. Canyons took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a sacrifice fly to left field by left fielder Tyreace House. Hernandez then hit a two-out double into right center, putting one more score on the board. Sophomore Kyle Harris ripped a homer in the sixth inning that scored the Cougars final two runs of the day. Harris finished the afternoon going 1-of-4 and two RBIs and Hernandez and center fielder Drew Peterson were both 2-of-4 with a double.
Game two did not go as easily for COC as the team could not capitalize on 13 players left on base. Canyons jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning. Cypress would score one run in the third inning, but the fifth inning was what put the Cougars in real trouble. With starting pitcher Kody Kurowski on the mound, the leadoff batter hit a homerun. Two batters later and with one out, Kurowski (8-3) walked the third batter and was replaced with relief pitcher Steve Burton. Burton went on to face nine batters and gave up four hits and five runs (three earned) that the Cougars would never full recover from. Hernandez and right fielder John Hay were 2-of-5 for the game with one double each.
With the series tied at 1-1, the Chargers opened up the game with four runs in the first and second innings. COC took over the lead in the third as the team was patient and tallied six runs off four hits that gave the Cougars a two-run advantage. Cypress took back the lead in the fifth inning, 8-7. Hernandez took over the pitching duties for starter Anthony DiGiacomo (1-3), who gave up 10 hits, eight runs (seven earned) and struck out three, in the seventh inning. In three innings of relief, he gave up only three runs (two earned) and four hits, while striking out three. COC had one more chance to come back in the eighth inning, after scoring two runs, but fell two scores shy. Peterson was 4-of-5 on the afternoon and Hernandez was 4-of-5 as well with two RBIs.
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