Cats humble the bumble

The Saddleback baseball team pulled off its first three-game sweep of the season with a 6-5 victory over Fullerton College on Friday in Fullerton.  The Bobcats rallied from a three-run deficit for the win.

Saddleback entered the series against Fullerton needing a series win to keep pace with the rest of the Orange Empire Conference (OEC).  The Bobcats did one better, sweeping the Hornets and moving into third place in the OEC standings. 

Saddleback trailed 4-1 heading to the fifth inning when they broke through for two runs to cut the deficit to 4-3.  The Bobcats had three hits in the inning, including singles from Matthew Henning and Joey Doskocil and a triple from Jack Borges. 

Saddleback trailed 5-3 heading to the eighth inning, with only two more opportunities at the plate to pull off a sweep for the first time since last March (Irvine Valley).  The Bobcats responded with two runs in the top half of the eighth inning when Doskocil singled to lead off the inning and Carter Enoch came to the plate and planted a ball over the left-field wall to tie the game.

Saddleback then turned the tables on the Hornets in the ninth inning with an assist to the Fullerton defense.  The Bobcats took advantage of a blunder in the field from the Hornets in loading the bases with one out in the inning.  Doskocil then hit a ball to second base and the attempt for a double-play was late as Henning crossed home plate with what would end up being the winning run.

Saddleback then inserted Miles Chandler into the game at pitcher in the bottom half of the ninth inning.  The Hornets loaded the bases with two outs in the inning, but Chandler struck out Niko Mendez with the final out of the game to halt the comeback and preserve the win and earn his first save of the season.

Saddleback started Brennan Bauer on the mound, and he pitched through the fifth inning before giving way to the bullpen.  Jayden Graves pitched the next three innings, striking out four Hornets in picking up the win and improving to 2-1 for the season. 

Doskocil (pictured) had a big day at the plate, finishing 3-for-5 with three RBI.  Henning finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored. 

Saddleback is now 19-15 overall and 9-6 in Orange Empire Conference play following the win.  The Bobcats are currently tied for third place in the conference standings with Cypress College, a team they defeated in a series a week earlier. 

Saddleback will play Orange Coast College (18-15, 6-9) in a three-game series starting Tuesday at Orange Coast.  The Cats and Pirates are scheduled to start at 2:00 PM in Costa Mesa.