BASEBALL: SUPER REGIONALS

The #12 Hornets traveled up to #3 Santa Barbara City College for the Southern California Super Regionals (best of three series).

In game one on Friday, FC edged the Vaqueros in a 13 inning battle 2-1 snapping SBCC's 6-game win streak. The starting pitchers were both spectacular with Sean Barry matching Fullerton's Dylan Prohoroff pitch-for-pitch. Barry went 10 innings, allowing one unearned run on 4 hits with 8 strikeouts and 2 walks. Prohoroff was throwing in the low 90s went 9.1 innings and gave up just 1 run on 8 hits with 5 strikeouts and 4 walks. Fullerton got its first run in the fourth after second baseman Spencer Erdman couldn't handle a grounder by David Miranda, allowing Row to score from third base. Erdman made an outstanding leaping catch of a ball in short center field to end the top of the 11th. Fullerton won the game on a go-ahead run in the 13th inning when Justin Row singled to left field, scoring Julio Rivera.

On Saturday, SBCC tied up the series at a game apiece with a 3-0 win over Fullerton, The Hornets were designated as the home team as FC pitcher Kyle Lazcano had a perfect game going through four innings until SBCC took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth. With one out, James Brakka walked and Colby Taylor got the first hit with a single to right. Brakka took third and Taylor went to second on the throw. Brakka scored on a wild pitch and Taylor went to third. After a strikeout, Matt Gimenez walked and intentionally strayed off first to draw a throw. When the first baseman threw to the shortstop, Taylor took off for home and used a clever slide to score the second run of the game. The Vaqueros added a run in the eighth on a single by Gimenez, two groundouts to second and an RBI single by Matt Henderson. Henderson's hit deflected off the pitcher's glove and led to a big collision with second baseman Laine Huffman flying over the top of shortstop Justin Row.

The final game on Sunday was all Santa Barbara as the blanked the FC 4-0 to advance to the third round. SBCC got off to a fast start scoring three runs in the first inning. Cameron Jones walked and went to third on Matt Henderson's single to right. Jones scores on a sacrifice fly by Connor McManigal and Jimmy Hill reached base when shortstop Justin Row bobbled a tailor-made double-play ball for an error. Henderson and Hill went to second and third on a wild pitch by starter Gordon Cardenas and both scored on Jimmy Brakka's one-out single to left that made it 3-0. The Vaqueros got another run in the second when Matt Gimenez singled and Spencer Erdman laid down the first of his three bunt singles. Fullerton made a pitching change and Jones greeted reliever Nico Castaneda with a sacrifice bunt that scored Gimenez and made it 4-0.

It was another successful season for the talented Hornets as they made their mark in the playoffs with an overall record of 24-17.

*Photos by Ricardo Zapata