Orange Empire Conference

COSTA MESA — All 12 Orange Coast College players scored to help the Pirates earn an 86-68 Orange Empire Conference women’s basketball victory over visiting Riverside Monday. OCC sophomore Courtney Ford scored a game-high 23 points to lead four Pirates in double figures, including freshman Niki Wakamiya, who made her only field-goal attempt and all eight of her foul shots to finish with 10 points. Sophomore Brittany Taylor was five of six from the field and two for two from the free-throw line to produce her 12 points, while sophomore Katie Kissee netted a pair of three-pointers on her way to 11 points for the winners.

After helping the Orange Coast College baseball team to a second place finish in the Orange Empire Conference, four Pirate players earned first-team honors on the All-Orange Empire Conference team, as selected by the coaches from each school. Freshman third baseman Drew Hillman, freshman catcher Jourdan Watanabe, sophomore centerfielder Cory Olson and sophomore pitcher Brandon Dixon all earned first-team honors. No OCC player received a spot on the second team. Hillman hit .354 in conference for the Pirates and led all OEC hitters with 27 RBIs.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Orange Coast College women's basketball coach Mike Thornton asks that his team play every game as if it's against the most difficult opponent. Even beyond that, the Pirates' players had an ulterior motive to play well against overmatched Golden West in Friday night's Orange Empire Conference game on the Rustlers' floor. The result was a 102-33 romp for the Pirates (22-3, 8-0 in conference), ranked No. 7 in the state and No. 4 in Southern California.

SANTA ANA - The Orange Coast College softball team had its offense shut down by Santa Ana in Wednesday's 1-0 Orange Empire Conference loss. Monica Ortega threw a complete-game three-hitter for OCC (10-17, 4-14 in conference), but allowed the game's only run in the fourth inning. OCC will host Saddleback on Friday at 3 p.m. ORANGE EMPIRE CONFERENCE Santa Ana 1, Orange Coast 0Orange Coast 000 000 0 - 0 4 1 Santa Ana 000 100 x - 1 3 1 Ortega and Snyder; Kralich and Kendrick.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Orange Coast 74, Riverside 66 RIVERSIDE — Courtney Ford scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Pirates to their 10th straight victory, seventh straight in the Orange Empire Conference Wednesday.   Brittany Taylor added nine points and 10 rebounds for OCC (21-3, 7-0 in conference). Orange Empire Conference Orange Coast -- Maulit 4, Kisse 6, Smith 8, Hundley 5, Allen 10, Taylor 9, Ford 25, Calcagno 4, Barney 3. Orange Coast 74, Riverside 66   3-pt.

CYPRESS - The Orange Coast College women's water polo team used a balanced attack to defeat host Cypress, 9-2, in Orange Empire Conference action Wednesday. Daylene Coberly, Neisha Hoagland and Kristina Miloslavic each scored two goals for the Pirates (23-3-1, 5-1 in conference), ranked No. 2 in Southern California by the Community College Water Polo polls. Kathy Klarich, Christine McDonald and Devon Wright each added single goals for OCC, while goalie Erin Kennedy posted seven saves.

FULLERTON - Devon Wright and Daylene Coberly combined for five first-quarter goals and Orange Coast College was off to a 13-3 rout of host Fullerton College in women's water polo Wednesday as the Pirates improved to 19-2-1, 4-1 in the Orange Empire Conference with its 17th straight unbeaten appearance. The Pirates, prepping for this weekend's big tournament at Long Beach City, were led by Tia Montalvo and Wright with three goals apiece, but in was a basic runaway from the start.

CYPRESS - A 5-1 lead just isn't enough in the Orange Empire Conference. Just ask Orange Coast College's baseball team. After building a four-run advantage after three innings, the Pirates' bats fell asleep, enabling host Cypress to rally for a 6-5 win. Eric Wiethorn (Corona del Mar High) was 1 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs for OCC (10-19, 4-12 in conference), while Ryan France went 2 for 4 with an RBI. OCC continues conference action Tuesday at Golden West, beginning at 2 p.m. ORANGE EMPIRE CONFERENCE Cypress 6, Orange Coast 5 Orange Coast 203 000 000 - 5 8 2 Cypress 102 003 00x - 6 9 2 Bostick, Coleman (7)

COSTA MESA - Orange Coast College's baseball team scored five runs in the seventh inning to beat visiting Fullerton, 8-6, Thursday in an Orange Empire Conference game. Nick Orlandos and Chris Laws led off the Pirates' seventh with doubles, and Ryan Anderson singled to drive in a run. After Jason Reuss reached on an error with two outs, Ryan France drove in two more runs with a double. After a hit batsman and another error, Willie Keller drove the final OCC (17-21, 7-14 in conference)

His academic advisor may not approve, but Orange Coast College sophomore Chris Carlson makes no secret of his primary field of study as a Pirate. "Baseball is my major," Carlson said with a laugh. "That's my No. 1. Everything else is my minor. " So it is that the Orange Empire Conference Player of the Year sometimes fidgets in his classroom chair, counting down the moments until he can trade his pen for the aluminum bat that has always been his mightiest sword. "Ever since I can remember, I've always just put the bat on the ball," said Carlson, whose hitting prowess has helped OCC (36-5-1)

CHINO HILLS - The Orange Coast College men's golf team won its third straight Orange Empire Conference title on Monday at Los Serranos Golf Course. The Pirates, who played 18 holes on both of Los Serranos' courses, finished first on the North Course with a score of 360 and third on the South Course with a 378. OCC went 62-8 on the season, followed by Cypress (52-18) and Santiago (46-24), which finished second and third, respectively. The Pirates were led by Jaime Moreno and Kyle Frame on the North Course.

IRVINE - At 30-4-1, the Orange Coast College baseball team surely knows how to win. When it comes to celebrating, however, the No. 1 team in the state showed its inexperience on Tuesday after clinching the program's first outright Orange Empire Conference title since 1987. Following the last out of OCC's 7-2 road triumph over Irvine Valley, there was a brief hesitation before the players in the dugout jogged onto the field and helped form a crowd around relief pitcher Bijan Rademacher in front of the mound.

MEN'S BASKETBALL Riverside 73, Orange Coast 56 COSTA MESA - Will Ligon scored a game-high 21 points for the Pirates in the Orange Empire Conference game Friday. Leron Lacey had eight points for OCC (6-15, 1-4 in conference). Riverside is 10-7, 4-1. * WOMEN'S TENNIS USC 7, UC Irvine 0 LOS ANGELES - The Anteaters dropped 72 of 90 singles games in the nonconference road match on Friday. UCI (1-1) visits No. 6-ranked UCLA on Wednesday.

SANTA ANA - The Irvine Valley College men's basketball team opened up Orange Empire Conference play Friday night against Santa Ana College, and it was a good thing the game wasn't scored on style points. Santa Ana likes to drag its opponents into the dirt and make it a scrap, and Friday's matchup certainly was grimy. Irvine Valley (14-3, 1-0 in conference) made just 16 of 56 field goal attempts (28.6%) including a dismal one for 20 from beyond the three-point line, but still managed to emerge on top with a 46-40 victory.

COSTA MESA - Orange Coast College took rival Golden West College to five games for the first time this season - unfortunately for the Pirates, they lost and could not deal the Rustlers their first Orange Empire Conference loss this season. The Pirates came within five points of beating the Rustlers, but came up just short in a back-and-forth rally, as Golden West won, 20-25, 25-19, 25-20, 18-25, 15-11, Wednesday at OCC. Golden West (17-3) clinched the OEC championship at 12-0.

COSTA MESA - The referee turned to the Orange Coast College sideline to say something to Coach Kevin Smith, who sat on the bench with his men's soccer team down one goal late. "A minimum of three," the ref said. "Three what?" someone asked on the bench. The three was for the minutes left in the match on Tuesday. In a matter of seconds, the three turned out to be the third goal Irvine Valley College put away to rally and beat the host Pirates, 3-1. The Lasers scored at the start of stoppage time of the Orange Empire Conference match, which got away from OCC in the final 22 minutes.

"It isn't whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" is an old sports adage, maybe outdated in today's "win-at-all-costs" era. But at Irvine Valley College, women's soccer Coach Simon Davies is old school. He has to be. The Lasers play in the extremely tough Orange Empire Conference in the competitive Southern California area. So after a year in which his team went 5-16, including 3-13 in the conference, Davies keeps it all in perspective. Ask Davies how he will turn around the fortunes of his club and he jokes: "Pray harder to the soccer gods.

Orange Coast College sophomores Jordan Beck and Matt Moynihan have been named Co-Players of the Year in the Orange Empire Conference by the league's baseball coaches. Freshman pitcher Jed Vandernaald, sophomore second baseman Zach Chavez, sophomore center fielder Kevin Cho and freshman left fielder Chris Carlson also represent OCC on the all-conference first team. Freshman pitcher Chad Thompson and freshman catcher Trent Woodward are Pirates chosen to the second team. Moynihan, a transfer from the University of San Diego, led conference players with a .480 batting average in conference games.

COSTA MESA — Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli didn't like the vibe from the start. And over the first seven innings of the Pirates' final Orange Empire Conference meeting with first-place Sana Ana, there wasn't much to alter his uneasiness. But, as this team usually does, it found a way to leave Altobelli smiling when the dust had settled on a dramatic 11-9 OCC victory that helps keep its conference title hopes alive. The Pirates (26-6, 12-5 in conference)