ANAHEIM – Fullerton pitcher Brent Bell felt anxious before the game even started. While throwing his warm-up pitches in the bullpen at Angel Stadium, he could feel the effects of being on a much bigger stage than normal.
If Bell felt nervous after the game’s first pitch, her certainly didn’t show it. The senior took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and threw a shutout to lead Fullerton to a 1-0 victory over Troy in the Freeway League opener for both teams Thursday.
“I was nervous, big time,” Bell said. “My coaches were just telling me, ‘It’s just another game,’ so I just had to go out there and throw. That was something special. I’ll remember this game forever.”
Bell picked up steam as the game went on. He struck out the last four batters he faced and finished with 13 strikeouts with just two hits allowed and one walk. At one point he retired 13 consecutive batters.
“When he has his change-up working like that, he’s tough to hit,” Fullerton coach Tony Gonzalez said. “There’s never a scene or a game that’s too big for him.”
Fullerton (2-4) scored the game’s only run after Dallas Soderquist singled and stole second base with two outs in the bottom of the second inning. Daniel Weatrowski singled to right field to drive in the run.
Troy’s hitters were unable to make solid contact and only threatened to score in the sixth inning. The Warriors (3-4) had runners on first and second with two out, but Bell got a strikeout to end the threat.
The thrill of playing at Angel Stadium was exciting, but it will be difficult to replicate as both teams return to their usual home fields for Friday games.
“Not quite like this,” Bell said. “But we’ll come back and hopefully get after it again.”
