COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Bunt Singles Set the Stage for Rancho Santiago Rout

SANTA ANA — Rancho Santiago College turned to the bunt to help beat Saddleback, 14-3, in an Orange Empire Conference game Thursday at Rancho Santiago.

The Dons led, 4-3, when Shaun Sterling walked to start the fourth inning.

Chris Floth and Steve Grack then bunted for singles to load the bases.

With the infield in, Conrad Colby singled past second baseman Ted Savage and two runs scored.

Marty Neff followed with an RBI double and Rancho Santiago led, 7-3.

Colby later scored on a fielder’s choice, Neff scored on an error and John Weber added an RBI single as Rancho Santiago scored six runs in the inning to take a 10-3 lead.

“The bunt helped us get it going,” Rancho Santiago Coach Don Sneddon said. “If you can do it, it puts more pressure on the defense.”

The threat of the bunt helped Rancho Santiago take the lead an inning earlier.

Grack singled and Colby walked with no outs and Neff coming up. Sneddon had Neff, who has been slumping, bunt on the first pitch.

Neff turned to bunt, but took a called strike. Sneddon then took off the sign, and Neff hit a three-run home run over the left-center field fence.

It was Neff’s conference-leading 13th home run this season. He also leads Rancho Santiago with 43 RBIs.

“I decided to take it off,” Sneddon said about the bunt sign. “I hoped he would get a fastball. He did, and he hit it out.”

Neff and Colby each had four RBIs for first-place Rancho Santiago (21-5 overall, 10-3 in conference), which has a two-game lead over Riverside and Golden West with 11 games remaining.

Rob Nay (4-1) pitched the first five innings for the victory. Jay Hassell allowed two hits and no runs in four innings for his first save.

Pat Norville (3-1) allowed nine runs, eight earned, in 3 1/3 innings to take the loss for Saddleback (3-10, 9-13).

Ted Savage had a two-run home run, his second, in the fourth, and Tony Wren had an RBI single in the third for Saddleback’s runs.