Baseball: Vikings beat Fullerton 5-3 for first home win of 2011

The Long Beach City College baseball team won at home for the first time in three tries after defeating Fullerton College by a final score of 5-3 in a non-conference game at Joe Hicks Memorial Field on Thursday. The win improved LBCC to 3-5 overall.

Fullerton pounded out 11 hits but stranded 10 runners on base thanks to solid LBCC defense and quality pitching.

The Hornets jumped out to a 2-0 lead after scoring single runs in the first and second innings. But the Vikings answered with a three-run outburst in the bottom of the second.

With one out, sophomore center fielder Joe Lent (Los Alamitos HS) lined a single to center and moved to second after freshman right fielder Phil Visico (Wilson HS) walked. The pair then pulled of a successful double steal to put runners at second and third. Two batters later, freshman catcher Matt De Leon (Cypress HS) dribbled a two-out single up the middle to drive in two runs.

De Leon was able to advance to second on the throw to the plate, which proved to be an important play. Freshman second baseman Derrick Garcia (Mayfair HS) followed with another single up the middle to drive in De Leon and LBCC took the lead for good at 3-2.

Long Beach came right back to score two more runs in the third thanks to a Fullerton error and passed ball. Sophomore third baseman Andy Hernandez (Paramount HS) reached base on an error by Fullerton third baseman Cameron Luitwieler. Lent followed with a single and a two-base passed ball allowed Hernandez to score from second and put Lent at third base. One batter later, Visico grounded out to bring in Lent.

Fullerton rallied for a run in the top of the eighth and looked for more. After a RBI single by Drew Luther, the Hornets had runners on second and third with two outs. But LBCC sophomore reliever Kyle Kay (Beverly Hills HS) got Zach Luther to fly out to right to end the threat.

Freshman reliever Omar Jimenez (Lakewood HS) came on in the ninth with a runner on base to record the final two outs and the save.  

Freshman Matthew Padilla (Lakewood HS) scattered 10 hits and allowed two runs over 6 2/3 innings to pick up the win for Long Beach. He struck out three and walked two to earn his first victory and improve his record to 1-2.

The Vikings collected just five hits in the contest. Lent led LBCC by going 2 for 4 at the plate.

Nick Russo (0-3) earned the loss for Fullerton (5-6). He allowed five runs (three earned) and four hits over 4 innings. Christian Salinas allowed just one hit over the final four innings in relief.

Luther and Blake Martin both went 3 for 4 to lead the Hornets at the plate.

Long Beach returns to action on Saturday (Feb. 26) when it faces another Orange Empire Conference opponent. The Vikings travel to Santa Ana College for a 12 p.m. game.