PALATINE, Ill. – Closing out the regular-season on a positive note, the Olive-Harvey baseball team swept Harper College on the road Sunday, winning 15-6 and 15-2 to improve to 11-24, which are the most wins on record in program history.
The Panthers hope to carry the momentum into the Region IV Tournament, where they will face South Suburban College on Thursday at 1 p.m. Triton College will host the four-team double-elimination tournament that runs through Saturday.
In Sunday’s victories, Gabriel Sanchez (Spring H.S./Houston, Texas) went a combined 8-for-9 at the plate with seven RBIs, three doubles and three runs. The sophomore left fielder was a perfect 5-for-5 in the opener to go along with three RBIs and a pair of doubles. His 3-for-4 effort in the nightcap included four runs driven in and a double.
With his performance, Sanchez raised his batting average to .375 and slugging percentage to .469. Both readings place him first on the team.
Sanchez’s career highs of five hits in Game 1 and four RBIs in the finale equal OHC’s top individual totals this spring.
Bryan Colon (Pro Baseball Academy/Arroyo, Puerto Rico) produced three hits in the first contest to match his personal best. Kardinis Jimenez (Luz America Calderon H.S./Carolina, Puerto Rico), Kenneth O’Farrill (Vocacional Miguel Such H.S./Loiza, Puerto Rico) and Julio Castro (Island Coast H.S./Cape Coral, Fla.) all had two hits in Game 1 to help Olive-Harvey amass a season-high 17 base knocks.
In addition, Castro had three RBIs – two of which came off of his second home run of the year in the seventh inning – while O’Farrill drove in two.
Starting pitcher Luis Flores (Jose Collazo Colon H.S./Junios, Puerto Rico) garnered the win in Game 1 after striking out two and allowing three earned runs in five innings. The freshman left-hander received plenty of offensive support as the Panthers scored four runs in the second and third innings, two in the fourth and sixth and three in the seventh. Harper countered with a tally in the second and fourth and two in the fifth and seventh.
OHC scored in all five innings of the nightcap, striking three times in the first inning and twice in both the second and third to jump out to a 7-0 lead. The Hawks plated a pair of unearned runs in the third before Olive-Harvey concluded the scoring with five markers in the fourth and three in the fifth.
O’Farrill duplicated Sanchez’s accomplishments at the plate as he also went 3-for-4 in Game 2. O’Farrill, who had two doubles, knocked in a pair of runs, as did Joseph Castillo (Bloom Trail H.S.) and Jeremiah Williams (Thornton Fractional North H.S.).
Castro and Steven Camadeca (West Boca H.S./Boca Raton, Fla.) had two hits apiece. Camadeca, a freshman third baseman who has missed the bulk of the season due to injury, recorded his first collegiate hit in the opener.
Jimenez singled in his first at-bat to extend his hitting streak to seven games in a row. O’Farrill has hit safely in each of his last six appearances.
Diego Sanchez (Norman Thomas H.S./Bronx, N.Y.) had his best outing of the season on the mound as he surrendered just one hit and two unearned runs in four innings to claim his first collegiate victory. Jan Lopez (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico/Colegio Nuestra Senora del Pilar H.S.) held the hosts scoreless in the fifth.
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