OCCC Recap

The Lions come out on top in a 18-15 slugfest against the Ocean County Community College Vikings on Wednesday. Wow, did this game have everything, eight home runs, seven doubles, six errors, four stolen bases, three caught stealing and a triple to top it off.

The Lions fell down 6-0 before even getting a batter in the box and things were looking grim halfway through the first. The Vikings grabbed an additional run in the top of the third and the Lions copied them in the bottom half to make it 7-1 after three. Just as the Lions get on the board, the Vikings pull further away scoring 3 more in the top of the fourth to make it 10-1. The Lions chipped into the Vikings lead once again in the bottom of the fourth scoring another lone run off an error.

The Lions came alive in the bottom of the sixth after Hector Diaz (Brookewood) opened things up with a one out triple. Sam Richie (Perryville) would bring Diaz home with a single through the left side. With two outs and two men on, Robbie Smith (South Cobb) cleared the bases with a three run shot to left field. Devin Hollingsworth (Atholton) and MJ Lux (Great Mills) followed up the homerun with back to back doubles with Lux scoring Hollingsworth to put five on the board for the Lions in the bottom of the fifth but still trailing 10-7.

In the top of the sixth the Lions gave back three runs off one hit, extending the lead back out to six. The bottom of the sixth, similar to the fifth, started with Diaz getting on with one out, this time with a single. And just like in the fifth Richie would bring home Diaz with a single but also score a Rafael Gutierrez (Sunshine State Elite) who reached on a hit by pitch. Isaiah Coxon (Aberdeen) hit the Lions second home run of the day, this one a two run shot to score Richie and put the Lions down 13-11.

After a scoreless seventh the Vikings attacked again in the top of the eighth, scoring off of back to back doubles to take a 15-11 lead. The bottom half of the eighth started with a leadoff walk for Gutierrez. Richie home run, Coxon home run, Smith home run! The Lions go back-to-back-to-back to tie the game with Coxon and Smith hitting their second of the day. The Lions would score three more runs in the bottom of the eighth off of two singles, taking their first lead of the game 18-15. Coxon would come in the top of the ninth for the save, striking out the three and recording his second save of the season.

Isaiah Coxon: 2 for 6, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 1 IP, 3 K, Sv

Sam Richie: 3 for 6, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R

Robbie Smith: 2 for 5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

Rafael Gutierrez: 2 for 4, 2 RBI, 3 R