SANTA ANA - Looking more like the team that started the season 11-3-1, the Dons defeated first-place Cypress College 18-5 in an Orange Empire Conference game. The win improves the Dons to 14-19-1 overall and 4-15 in conference while CYpress drops to 24-10 overall and 13-6 in conference.
The Dons jumped out ahead from the very start of the game with six runs on six hits in the first inning. Troy Baird highlighted the opening frame with his two-run triple while Alex Mascarenas, Frankie Nogales and Tanner Negrette each drove in a run.
After Cypress cut the lead in half with three runs in the second, the Dons answered with two more runs in the bottom of the second with Nogales and Baird each driving in a run. Cameron Baranek tripled in a run in the Dons two-run third before Colin Winn plated Baranek on a sacrifice fly.
The Dons added a run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Mascarenas before Cypress plated a run of its own, also on a sacrifice fly, in the seventh. The Chargers scored their final run of the game when Jack Flansburg reached on an error in the eighth, allowing Blake Ronca to score.
Finally, in the eighth inning, the Dons put up seven runs on seven hits to put the game away. Manuel Segura singled in Negrette before scoring when Devan Campos reached on an error. Mascarenas then singled to center field, scoring Dillon Fetty.
Two more runs came in when Sam Lemmon doubled down the left field line, scoring Campos and Baranek. Trevor Steinman and Colton Johnson capped off the scoring with back-to-back RBI-singles that scored Mascarenas and Lemmon, respectively.
Daniel Pena (1-2) got the win for the Dons as he pitched 2.1 innings in relief while allowing just one hit. John Forsythe (2-2) took the loss for Cypress after allowing six runs, five earned, on six hits without recording a single out.