Sneddon wins 1,000th game

BASEBALL:

Ruben Orosco stood on the mound with history at his fingertips.

The scoreboard read OCC 3, visitors 4. It was the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and the only thing standing between him and record-breaking victory was one strike.

Orosco dug deep and threw a fastball that induced a fly-out to right field.

The Dons defeated Orange Empire Conference rivals Orange Coast College 4-3 March 12, giving Sneddon his 1,000th career win at Santa Ana College.

Sneddon is the first coach in California Community College baseball history to reach 1,000 wins. While this is an unparalleled milestone in his career and in baseball history, Sneddon shrugged it off.

“The 1,000th win is a nice thing, but it’s more than just that,” said Sneddon. “Beating Orange Coast on their field in a league game is tough to do, and we were able to do that. Putting the 1,000th win on top of that makes it a nice day.”
The achievement he is most proud of is the consistency of his program over the years.

“We have to rebuild every single year,” said Sneddon. “At a community college we don’t have four-year veterans here.”
Orosco pitched a complete game, holding OCC to 11 hits and three runs while striking out five.

“It was great,” said Orosco. “It’s been a life changing experience getting to be a part of history like that.”

Orosco touched on a personal milestone, becoming the first pitcher to go all nine innings for the Dons this season.

“I was just trying to throw good pitches, get outs and keep my team in the game,” Orosco said.

The Dons have won 15 of their last 17 games, averaging over eight runs per game. It’s ranked No. 1 in the Orange Empire Conference with a record of 12-2.

The Dons play at OCC April 12. The Pirates are currently second in the Orange Coast Conference with a record of 10-4.

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