A fast start and a steady mound presence from Rohan Ramos powered Cypress (15-4, 3-0 OEC) to a 5–3 win over Irvine Valley (13-7, 0-3 OEC) on Saturday afternoon at Cypress College, clinching a three-game sweep in the opening round of Orange Empire Conference play.
The Chargers wasted no time seizing control, striking for three runs in the second inning and two more in the third to build a 5–0 cushion. In the second, Ty Peters delivered the first big blow, ripping a two-run double that brought home Wyatt Joyce and John Short. Moments later, Izaiah Posada kept the inning rolling with an RBI single to score Peters, rewarding the early traffic on the bases with a 3–0 lead.
Cypress kept pressing in the third. Justin Tillar set the table, and Derek Gonzales cashed in with a triple to left field to make it 4–0. Short followed by beating out an RBI infield single to third, pushing Gonzales across for a 5–0 advantage. By the end of the frame, the Chargers had tallied five runs on seven hits against Irvine Valley starter Jackson Chastain.
That early barrage gave Ramos all the support he needed. The right-hander turned in 6.2 strong innings, holding the Lasers to five hits and three earned runs while striking out six and walking just one. Efficient and composed, Ramos (3–0) cruised through six scoreless frames before Irvine Valley finally broke through in the seventh, but his work set the tone in a game where both teams finished with zero errors.
