Pirates

COSTA MESA - A 31-4-1 regular season that included the Orange Coast College baseball team's first outright Orange Empire Conference title since 1987, a No. 1 national ranking and a school-record winning percentage (.875), might be considered a tough act to follow. But all the Pirates have done in four postseason games, including Saturday's 5-0 triumph over visiting Mt. San Antonio in the winner's bracket semifinal of the Southern California Super Regional, is step up their game.

COSTA MESA — At its next home football game, Orange Coast College will honor the 1975 national championship team. And after a 46-10 drubbing at the hands of visiting Los Angeles Harbor Saturday night, OCC faithful are clearly pining for the nostalgia of the good old days. Two Pirates quarterbacks were sacked seven times and, largely due to having to scramble for their well being, combined to throw four interceptions. OCC also lost two fumbles and also added to their habit of special teams breakdowns.

COSTA MESA - An Orange Coast College baseball team that had been larger than life most of the season, benefited from a healthy dose of mortality on Sunday to win the second championship game of the double-elimination Southern California Super Regional. The 16-1 triumph over Glendale, which topped the Pirates, 6-3, in the first game Sunday, propels OCC (36-5-1), ranked No. 1 in one national poll, into the four-team California Community College Athletic Assn. State Championship, held Friday through Sunday at Bakersfield College.

COSTA MESA - It had been nearly two years since he'd won a game, and after redshirting at the University of Oregon last season, Friday marked the collegiate debut for Orange Coast College freshman pitcher Brandon Brennan. As if that weren't enough to accelerate his anxiety, there were about four-dozen professional scouts on hand to gauge his talent, his coach estimated. But if Brennan was at all knocked off his game in the Pirates' 6-3 nonconference home win over Cuesta, it certainly was difficult to tell.

COSTA MESA — Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli limps to the third-base coaching box these days with a swollen knee. But, ever a slave to diamond routine, he still throws every batting practice. That pitch count increases every time his pitchers throw a shutout, as the former minor league outfielder, in his 19th season at OCC, pledges to throw batting practice to all the pitchers as a reward for their holding an opponent scoreless. "Luckily, we play games all week, so maybe by the time we have another practice, they will have forgotten about it," Altobelli said with a smile after four pitchers combined on a six-hitter in a 4-0 nonconference triumph over visiting Long Beach on Tuesday that helped OCC improve to 4-0. Freshman Ryan Boselo worked four strong innings in his collegiate debut to collect the win. The Estancia High product surrendered just one hit and struck out three.

EL CAJON — The Orange Coast College football team had lost its first three games, much of the faith of its fan base, and nearly three dozen players from its preseason roster heading into Saturday's road game against highly regarded Grossmont. But the Pirates showed against the Griffins, ranked No. 9 in Southern California and No. 16 in the state, that they still have plenty of pride, as well as precious little interest in giving up on the rest of their season. OCC led early, moved the ball with relative ease, battled defensively, led, 28-27, with 8:57 left, and remained in the game until the final minute before falling, 42-35.

COSTA MESA — Orange Coast College men's soccer coach Laird Hayes said every practice is an opportunity to get a starting spot. In the Pirates' season opener, freshman forward Juan Meza took full advantage of his opportunity. Meza scored two goals, helping lead an efficient OCC team to a 3-0 nonconference victory over Moorpark. He scored in the 14th minute, taking a through ball from Matt Schirmer, beating two defenders and the sliding Moorpark goalie and angling a soft shot into the net. Meza also had the game's last goal in the 86th minute, gaining possession of a bouncing ball in the box and firing it past the goalie at the near post.