Pineda Deals Gem as Offense Erupts in Season Opener

TORRANCE, Calif. --- Sophomore Adrian Pineda pitched a stellar game and the offense provided three big innings as El Camino College scored an 11-5 victory over visiting Orange Coast on Friday afternoon at Warrior Field.

The Warriors took the season opener and game one of the fifth annual Memorial Cup series between the teams thanks to six strong innings from Pineda on the mound. He allowed just two hits and struck out nine, needing just 69 pitches while throwing 48 of them for strikes.

The offense provided the rest with a three-run inning in the fourth and a pair of four-run frames in the fifth and eighth to secure the opening day win.

The 6-7-8 spots in the Warriors offense had big days as Caden Lewis, Aden Laureano and Johnny Munoz combined to go 6-for-12 with seven RBIs and six runs scored. Lewis blasted his first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the eighth inning while Laureano added a double of his own in the game.

Slater Nunez reached all four times as he walked three times to go along with a triple. Dylan Mares and Gil Solis also added hits to round out the Warriors' offensive output.

The Warriors will now travel to OCC for game two of the series on Saturday afternoon and look to claim the Memorial Cup series and trophy for the third straight season and fourth time overall. First pitch is set for noon.

ABOUT THE MEMORIAL CUP

The birth of the Memorial Cup began back in 2019, where, after two years of intense regional playoff battles, OCC and El Camino met at the 2019 3C2A State Baseball Championships. The Pirates won the state title that year with a doubleheader sweep over the Warriors on the final day. It was a series that truly brought out the very best of both schools and it connected Orange Coast and El Camino baseball together forever. During that season, ECC's Sladen Mohl was killed on his way home from practice on April 18, 2019. Nine months later, OCC head coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa were killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020, which claimed the lives of nine people.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, both schools wanted to create an annual three-game series in their honor of John and Sladen and in 2022, the Memorial Cup was born. The Warriors won the inaugural series in 2022 with the Pirates winning in 2023 to claim the trophy. Currently, the Warriors hold the cup having won the past two series.