COMMUNITY COLLEGE STATE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Cypress Is Within a Victory of Title

SACRAMENTO — Sean Drinkwater’s one-out double in the bottom of the ninth inning gave Cypress a 4-3 victory over Chabot in the second round of the State Tournament at Union Stadium on Sunday in Sacramento.

Cypress (34-15) needs to take one game today against Sacramento to win its first state baseball championship. If Sacramento wins today’s first game, a second will follow.

Cypress moved into the second round by scoring two runs in the ninth inning Saturday to defeat Sacramento, 4-3. Also on Sunday, Sacramento defeated Riverside, 8-1, to eliminate the Tigers. Sacramento eliminated Chabot, 13-2, Sunday afternoon.

Rob Utz led off the ninth with a single to right for Cypress. He took second on a wild pickoff throw from Chabot reliever Clint Brown. Jason Bates struck out, but Drinkwater hit a hard grounder down the third-base line to drive in the winning run.

Chabot had scored a run in the top of the ninth to tie it at 3-3. Jason Flexen led off with a double. Jeff Borges then bunted and Cypress reliever Carlos Castillo threw to third, too late to get Flexen. Mat Dehms struck out. Dave Rodrigues then hit a grounder to the hole that shortstop Bates reached. He threw to second for a force out, but second baseman Drinkwater’s rushed throw to first was wide and late and the run scored.

Chabot took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Chris Petersen tagged starter Roger Weems with a two-run home run. Weems shut out Chabot over the next five innings before giving way to Castillo to start the seventh. Castillo (8-2) got the victory.

Cypress scored three in the second to take a 3-2 lead. Doug McConathy doubled to open the inning and took third on a single by Tom Puppe. Kevin Cook’s sacrifice fly drove in McConathy. Utz and Bates added RBI singles in the inning.

Utz, who is playing with a sore right thumb, had three hits, an RBI and scored a run for Cypress, the third-place team from the Orange Empire Conference.

Cypress could join Orange Coast as the only county school to win a state baseball title. The Pirates won titles in 1956, ’60 and ’80.