FULLERTON STYMIES ORANGE COAST IN OEC OPENER
The No. 17 Hornets opened Orange Empire Conference play in dominant fashion on Tuesday afternoon blasting No. 22 Orange Coast College 14-2 at home.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
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0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | X | 14 | 14 | 3 |
The No. 17 Hornets opened Orange Empire Conference play in dominant fashion on Tuesday afternoon blasting No. 22 Orange Coast College 14-2 at home.
Fullerton exploded for five runs in the second inning and three more in the third to quickly build an 8-0 lead and never looked back.
The Hornets got on the board in the second inning when Vinny Hudson singled through the left side to score Sean Green. Moments later, Jake Starr drove in two runs with a single up the middle scoring Hudson and Hunter Billingsley. Diego Vazquez followed with a two-RBI single to left field to plate Starr and Nate Pone and push the lead to 5-0.
Fullerton added to the lead in the third when Starr launched a three-run home run to right field scoring Hudson and Nicholas Lopez to extend the advantage to 8-0.
The Hornets continued to add insurance runs late in the game when Luke Viola delivered an RBI single in the seventh inning before Fullerton capitalized on a Pirate error to score two more runs. Niko Mendez added a two-RBI single later in the inning, and Cannon Billingsley drove in a run with a single in the eighth to cap the scoring.
Starr led the Hornet offense going 3-4 with 3 runs scored and 5 RBI. Viola finished 3-6 with 2 runs and a RBI, while Hudson added 2 hits, 2 runs and a RBI. Vazquez chipped in 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Mendez finished 2-2 with 2 RBI.
Overall, the FC offense finished the afternoon with 14 runs on 14 hits while limiting the Pirates to just 4 knocks.
On the mound, Will Valenzuela (3-2) earned the win after throwing 5.1 innings allowing only one earned run on 4 hits. The Hornet bullpen kept the Pirates in check the rest of the way with no hits against. Landen Pulsifer tossed 1.2 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts, while Nico Rodriguez and Brandon Garcia each added a scoreless inning to close out the game.
Up Next: The No. 17 Hornets (14-6 overall, 0-1 OEC) will continue their three-game conference series against Orange Coast on the road Thursday, March 5th at 1:00 pm. Game three will take place back at Fullerton College this Saturday, March 7th at noon.
