ELAC Baseball wins Series—17-8 and 2-1

COMPTON, CA — The East Los Angeles College baseball team won a two-game series against ECC Compton Center with a 17-8 win today and a 2-1 victory last Saturday at home.

In the nine run, 15 hit win at Compton, the Husky bats went wild in the second inning and scored a season high 11-runs in one frame.

ELAC freshman first baseman Thomas Acuna (Pomona HS) doubled. After the first out, freshman right fielder Ryan Orozco (Montebello HS) reached first on an error by the Compton right fielder. Acuna scored unearned.

Freshman left fielder Elias Maldonado (Northview HS) walked, as did freshman second baseman Oscar Osorio (Charter Oak HS). Sophomore catcher Ismael Martinez (Riverside Ramona HS) singled (RBI) and ELAC led 2-0.

The Huskies added another run from a single by freshman short stop Gabriel Figueroa (Alhambra HS) then another after freshman designated hitter Damien Lomeli (St. Paul HS) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Freshman center fielder Matthew Sosa (Whittier HS) walked, Acuna was hit by a pitch and   ELAC led 6-0.

Three Husky runs followed. The first was from a walk with the bases still loaded to freshman third baseman Joaquin Castillo (Warren HS), the other two from a single from Orozco (2 RBIs).

Maldonado (RBI) and Osorio (RBI) singled sandwiched between two outs and ELAC led 11-0.

The ELAC bat-barrage continued in the top of the seventh. Leading 12-2, the Huskies scored five runs from five hits. Sosa (2 RBIs) and Acuna (RBI) each doubled. Orozco (RBI), Maldonado (RBI) and Figueroa each singled and ELAC led 17-2.

Compton added four runs in the bottom of the inning off five hits and added two runs in the bottom of the ninth.

Freshman Tyler Oblea (Cathedral HS) was the winning pitcher. He threw three strikes in six innings and move to 3-1 overall. Oblea has an earned run average of 1.84.

In the one-run win at home, ELAC scored first in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore right fielder Kyle Francis (WA / Redmond HS) doubled and Castillo singled (RBI), ELAC added a run in the bottom of the fourth from a walk to K. Francis and a single from Lomeli (RBI).

Husky sophomore center fielder Morgan Lomax (Gardena Serra HS) pounded out two hits in the win as did Francis and Castillo.

Freshman Adrian Cardenas (Sierra Vista HS) was the winning pitcher. He evened his record to 2-2 overall. Cardenas has 18 strikes to date and averages 5.1 per game. He threw three strikes in the win.

Sophomore pitcher Richard Escobedo (Northview HS) recorded the save. He threw two strikes in 1.2 innings on the mound. Escobedo averages 7.56 strikes per game. He is 3-2 overall with a 1.44 earned run average.

Sosa banged four hits in the Compton series and leads the Husky bats with 24. Francis stole his second base of the season in the 2-1 win. Sosa has 12 stolen bases on the year, eighth best in the state.

The Huskies, 11-9 overall, have won 5-of-7 previous games. They take a two-game win streak into a home matchup with No. 3 SoCal-ranked El Camino College (19-2). Game time is 6 p.m. on Thursday night.

story submitted by Tadzio Garcia