Cypress Back for Title, More

CYPRESS — Experience won’t be a problem for Cypress, when it competes in the state baseball tournament starting Friday in Fresno.

Every member of the starting lineup was on the team that lost in the final game to Rancho Santiago last year.

Second baseman Nahum Renteria was the only 1997 starter that didn’t appear in the title game last year.

But getting back to the title game wasn’t what drove the Chargers this year, Coach Scott Pickler said.

“It’s awesome,” Pickler said about going to the state tournament. “But it’s not something you plan on. It’s so hard to get back there. It’s just hard getting out of our [conference] and then through a regional.”

Cypress, state champion in 1991 and 1994 under Pickler, advanced this year by beating Los Angeles Harbor, 4-3, Sunday in the second round of regional play after losing to the same team, 5-4, earlier in the day.

Cypress, which tied for second in the Orange Empire Conference, had only 10 hits in the final two games and struggled on offense despite winning three of four games in the second round.

Cypress starters hit .243 in the four regional games but are hitting .331 overall.

“They pitched us tough,” Pickler said. “But I’m not real concerned. We’re just going to make a few adjustments.”

The first four hitters--Scott Daeley, Craig Kuzmic, Greg Jacobs and Brian Flanagan--remained solid.

Daeley had six hits including the team’s only home run, Jacobs was seven for 15 with three doubles, and Flanagan drove in seven runs.

But the rest of the lineup--Randy Case, Junior Rodriguez, Lance Williams, Renteria and Matt Roman--struggled.

Case was the most frustrated, getting only one hit in 15 at-bats (.067), but it was a run-scoring single. Case also played well at third, making 10 assists and three putouts in the final two games without an error. He also started two key double plays.

Case’s RBI gives him 55 this season and 103 in his career at Cypress. His total is the third-best on the college’s career list. He needs only five to pass leader Jason Friedman (1988-89).

“All year long he has found a way to get his RBIs,” Pickler said.

Renteria hit .214 despite a sore thumb, but played very well in the field including digging out the low throw from catcher Kuzmic and tagging out a runner trying to steal second for the final out in the championship game.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

State Baseball Championships

* FORMAT: Double-elimination tournament

* WHERE: Fresno College

* WHEN: Saturday-Monday

* TICKETS: Tournament passes are $10 or admission is $5 a day, $3 for seniors and those younger than 12.

THE MATCHUPS

* Cypress (38-11-1) vs. Sequoias (38-11), 7 p.m.--Sequoias has had trouble with teams from Orange County this season, including Cypress. The Chargers beat Sequoias, 8-1, in a February tournament. Darin Reintjes (5-0) pitched an eight-hitter for the victory and probably will start Saturday. Sequoias needed three runs in the ninth to beat Orange Coast, 9-8, but lost to Golden West, 14-9, in the same tournament. Saddleback beat Sequoias, 11-5, during spring break. Cypress catcher Craig Kuzmic is hitting .408 with 15 home runs and 63 runs batted in. He has also scored 60 runs, five short of the Cypress single-season record.

* Cuesta (43-9) vs. Sacramento (36-9), 2 p.m.--Cuesta, coached by former Orange Coast standout Larry Lee, is on an offensive tear. The Cougars hit 10 home runs and scored 48 runs in five second-round games. Sacramento is led by pitcher Brandon Bowe, who is 12-0 with a 1.33 ERA. He has signed with Louisiana State. Devon Nicholson is 3-2 with three saves but has struck out 58 in 43 2/3 innings.