Orange League : Ruscito Ties HR Record, Leads Valencia to 11-9 Win

Andy Ruscito hit his 10th home run this season Friday to tie the Orange County record and lead Valencia High School to a 11-9 victory over Anaheim.

Ruscito, a senior left fielder for the Tigers, hit the homer over the 380-foot sign at Anaheim, thus tying him with Bill Dodd who hit 10 home runs for Capistrano Valley last season. Ruscito was 2 for 4 with one RBI.

Valencia opened with five runs in the first inning, two on Ron Terrill’s double. In the second inning, Tim Churchill drove in two runs with a double to left.

After adding single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, Valencia had a 9-2 lead. However the Colonists came back with four runs in the sixth to close that gap.

Randy Garcia’s two-run single in the seventh proved to be the difference, since Anaheim scored three times in the inning.

Valencia’s Jeff Martinez (2-1) was the winning pitcher. Churchill was 4 for 4 with two RBIs.

In other Orange League action:

Savanna 5, Magnolia 2--Sophomore Robert Lee threw a five-hitter with seven strikeouts to lead the Rebels past the Sentinels. Lee improved his pitching record to 5-0 and received offensive support from Robert Brocki, who went 2 for 3 and knocked in a run.

Western 9, Brea-Olinda 7--The Pioneers rallied to win with four runs in the seventh inning. Chris Chase had a leadoff homer for Western. The Wildcats’ Scott Shirey had a hit to continue his 12-game hitting streak.