ALMOST PERFECT: Fullerton pitcher Nick Perez threw a no-hitter in the Newport Elks Tournament on Thursday. Perez allowed no hits and just one walk, which cost him a perfect game, while striking out nine in a 4-0 victory over West Valley of Hemet. COURTESY OF THE PEREZ FAMILY |
No. 1 Los Alamitos challenged but makes it to Loara final
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Griffins survive rough final inning to beat Marina, 7-4, and move into title game.
Los Alamitos struggled at the start and winced at the end, but the Griffins baseball team still emerged with its first Loara Tournament championship berth in at least a decade.
“I think playing high-pressure games now is good for us later in the season,” senior right fielder Matt Avery said.
After seemingly breaking the game open with four runs in the fifth inning, Los Alamitos churned through three pitchers in the seventh before putting away Sunset League rival Marina, 7-4 at Glover Stadium.
Griffins reliever Lance Breedlove recorded the save after entering with the bases loaded, two outs and the go-ahead run at the plate. He struck out Ryan Olson looking with a breaking ball.
Los Alamitos (4-0), the No. 1 team in the county preseason poll, lost in the Loara semifinals last season before going on to win the Sunset League. The Griffins defeated Marina all three times in league play, each game by one run.
“They've got a group of guys that can swing the bat. They're big and strong,” Marina coach Paul Renfrow said of Los Alamitos. “I don't know if they were doing a great job two-strike hitting or if we weren't finishing with two strikes.”
The left-handed-hitting Avery, facing Marina left-hander Paul Strong, fought off pitches for a pair of run-scoring singles through the infield, helping the Griffins take a 3-2 lead after four innings.
Marina (3-1) scored two runs off Beau Wright (2-0) in the top of the first, but the lefty did not allow another run through four more innings. He struck out six.
Wright said he “started cringing a bit” with two outs in the seventh inning, when reliever Clay Sanders hit consecutive batters and John Heacock walked the next man. But Breedlove entered to retire the side.
Strong (1-1) took the loss, allowing five runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Also in the Loara Tournament:
Loara 5, Villa Park 0: Senior Christian Meza threw a no-hitter, striking out 13 and walking one, on 94 pitches for his first victory of the season to lift the Saxons (3-1) over Villa Park (2-2) in the consolation bracket.
Jacob Migliaccio was 2 for 4 with a solo homer for Loara.
In the Newport Elks Tournament:
Fullerton 4, West Valley 0: Nick Perez threw a no-hitter for the Indians, facing the minimum 21 batters. The senior left-hander had nine strikeouts, one walk in seven innings, and dropped his ERA to 0.54.
Sophomore Dominic Ficociello went 4 for 4 with a double and a stolen base for the Indians.
Contact the writer: jkay@ocregister.com
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