UNLOADING ON IVC

Joshua Porter pitched six shutout innings, and the Hornets exploded for a five-run ninth inning to dominate Irvine Valley 11-1 in a needed road-win on Thursday.

It was a good win for Fullerton, who dropped the first game of the series at home against IVC 6-0 last Tuesday. The Hornets are still in the playoff race with an overall record of 16-17 and an OEC record of 6-8 with seven games left in the regular season.

The game remained scoreless through three before Fullerton struck gold in the fourth when Noah Rodriguez opened with an RBI triple to center plating Hunter Billingsly. Moments later, Nate Pone delivered an RBI single through the right side, and the floodgates began to open.

In the fifth, FC took a 4-0 lead when Erik Polanco rocked his second homer of the season- a shot that sailed over the left-center wall. Luke Viola, Jake Larson, and Ben Carter all delivered RBI singles in the middle innings giving the Hornets a 6-0 advantage.

After Irvine Valley got on the board in the sixth on a wild pitch, Fullerton came back swinging it in the ninth. Viola, Polanco, and Billingsly each had clutch RBI hits, combining for 5 runs in the final frame putting the game well out of reach.

Joshua Porter was sharp from the start, scattering five hits, allowing no runs, had 3 strikeouts, and had only 1 walk. Christian Valent followed with two innings of relief, allowing Irvine Valley's lone run on a wild pitch, while Ashton McNaughton closed the door with a perfect ninth, striking out one.

Up Next: The Hornets (16-17 overall, 6-8 OEC) will play the third and final game of the OEC series with Irvine Valley College on Hornet Field on Friday, April 11th at 1:00 pm.

*Photo by Don Hudson