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Fullerton players celebrate victory over Troy Friday night. (Photos: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).
Fullerton High School’s baseball team pounded out 14 hits and cruised to a 12-2 victory over Troy in the Halo Classic at Angel Stadium Friday night.
It was the third time Fullerton (13-5-1) beat the Warriors this week. Friday’s contest was considered a non-league game (Troy and Fullerton compete in the Freeway League).
Malachi Meni had three hits and four RBI and Zach Fany and Carlos Barrios each added two RBI as the Indians won their third consecutive game and has won six of its last eight games.
“I’m seeing the ball really well and I’ve been aggressive at the plate,” said Meni, who was on base four times and helped Fullerton defeat Troy for the ninth time in their last 11 games. “We’re going to be a tough team to beat. It’s great to play in this stadium. I live down the street from here and I‘ve been coming here since I was a kid.”
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Meni’s two run single in the first inning scored Bryce Rasch and Zach Fany helping Fullerton take a 2-0 lead. The Indians erupted for five runs in the second inning to extend their lead to 7-0. Rasch and Fany added RBI and Barrios added a 2-run single.
“Tonight was fun, everybody got to play and contribute and it’s a real blessing to play here,” said Barrios, who pulled a hamstring late in the game.
Fany and Christian Robinson sparked a three-run Indians third inning rally by smashing back-to-back RBI triples. Meni also added an RBI double in the frame to propel Fullerton to a 10-0 lead.
“We played with a lot of energy and when we score early it builds confidence,” said Fany, who also had two hits and scored two runs. “It’s amazing to play in this stadium. We have to keep our energy high the rest of the season.”
Chris Soto got Troy (4-13-1) on the scoreboard in the third inning when he drilled a two-run single that caromed off an Indians infielder into left field.
Fullerton used six pitchers (Logan Davis, Mathew Hancock, Manny Idelfonzo, Jared Dibble, Wayne Warden and Declan Fitzgerald) and held Troy to six hits and gave up only one base on balls.
“It always feels good to beat your crosstown rival,” said Fullerton Coach Shaun Hill. “When you score early, get good pitching and play solid defense it builds confidence. We played well in Arizona and now we feel like we’re building momentum going into the rest of league play.”
Nearly 1,000 fans turned out to support the two local Fullerton schools at Angel Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Angels.
“The games didn’t go as we had planned for us this week, but playing at Anaheim Stadium is one of the main highlights of the season for our players,” said Troy Coach Jason Jamison.
Next week Troy will play two games against La Habra while Fullerton will play Sunny Hills twice.
—Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone
