The Lasers good start was over overshadowed by an even better one from the Hornets. After IVC manufactured a first inning run on Fullerton’s ace Randell Ortiz, the Hornet offense backed their starting pitcher with some run support.
Before many found their seats the Hornets were up 6-1 after two innings.
The Hornets were led by Long Beach State commit Laine Huffman and Cal State Fullerton commit Shane Carrier. Both had multiple hits and RBIs on the day.
“Those two are gamers, they come to win and when they get rolling the other guys feed off of that,” said head coach Nick Fuscardo.
Huffman opened the scoring for the Hornets with a first inning RBI single. He went on to score the other run in the inning giving the Hornets a 2-1 advantage. Huffman finished the game two-for-three with two RBIs, two runs scored, and reached base safely four times.
Carrier put in another top performance with three RBIs on two hits. Carrier wowed the crowd in the sixth inning with a towering two-run home run to left center that cleared the safety net. It was his 10th home run of the season, which leads the OEC.
Fullerton is looking to sweep the Lasers in hopes to keep pace with Saddleback College, who holds a three-game lead for first place in the OEC.
“We have to stay focused on our series with [Irvine Valley College] to make sure we do what we’re supposed to,” Huffman said.
The Hornets will get their chance at Saddleback when the two teams meet next week in the last regular season series. If the Hornets are able to complete the sweep of IVC the conference title will be on the line.
“We control our own destiny which is great, if we get a little help great, if we don’t, we still gotta take care of business,” Fuscardo said. “The title is up for grabs and we want it, but the most important thing is getting some momentum and playing Fullerton baseball as we head to the postseason.”
Fullerton (23-8, 11-5) will be on the road Thursday for the second game of the series with Irvine Valley (13-18, 4-12). First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. The two teams will finish the series at Fullerton Saturday with first pitch scheduled for noon.
