Dons Getting Hot, Sweep OCC to Start Conference Play
No. 19 Santa Ana Baseball began Orange Empire Conference play with a sweep of Orange Coast.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | X | 9 | 16 | 1 |
SANTA ANA, Calif. - No. 19 ranked Santa Ana College Baseball started Orange Empire Conference play with a sweep of the Orange Coast Pirates (5-14, 0-3) last week.
The Dons (12-6, 3-0) have seemingly found their rhythm after winning five straight and posting 30 total runs in the three game series.
Santa Ana's offense has been led by infielders Ken Tomitaka, Christian Altamirano and Connor Dietsch to this point. The trio combined for 18 hits and 12 runs batted in during the opening OEC series.
On the mound, the Dons got a solid performance from freshman Josh Rodriguez in game one. The right-hander out of La Serna High gave up just two runs in three innings, giving SAC what they needed.
The Dons also asked for a lot out of left handed sophomore pitcher, Spencer Johnsen. With appearances in the opener and finale, Johnsen struck out eight batters and conceded just one one run in six innings while earning a win and a save against the Pirates.
Another aspect that went Santa Ana's way was the emergence of Mason Kelley and Kian Sanchez.
Despite struggling in the first half of the season, Kelley continues to get starts in the three spot of the lineup for the Dons and it paid off in this series. The sophomore outfielder finished 6-for-13 at the plate and drove in five. Sanchez recently returned to the lineup after an injury kept him out for seven games. The sophomore out of San Diego went 6-for-10 with five of his own RBI.
Santa Ana will now face Irvine Valley in the second week of the Orange Empire Conference schedule.
