Century League : Classic Rivalry Turns Into a Rout as Tustin Beats Foothill, 13-1

Tuesday’s Century League baseball game between Foothill and Tustin high schools had all the elements of good sports drama.

Cross-town rivals were playing for first place. The teams’ top pitchers were on the mound. There was a large, enthusiastic crowd at the Knights’ field.

Leave it to Tiller ace Steve Surico and the Tustin hitters to turn the game into a comedy.

Surico allowed three hits and struck out nine in six innings, and the Tillers racked Foothill starter David Fox and three others for 13 hits on their way to a surprisingly easy 13-1 victory.

Designated hitter Chris Floth had four hits, an RBI and scored two runs, and second baseman Craig Gill hit a three-run home run to help the Tillers clinch at least a share of the Century League championship.

Tustin, under first-year Coach Vince Brown, is 10-3 (17-4 overall) and can win the title outright by defeating El Modena on Friday. The Tillers last won the league championship in 1983.

Foothill (9-4, 14-8) dropped to second place but can secure a playoff spot by defeating Santa Ana on Friday. If the Knights lose, there’s a chance they will miss the playoffs.

Tuesday’s game was exciting for about one inning. Tustin scored twice in the top of the first, but Foothill came back with a run in the bottom half.

Andrew Greco opened with an infield single, and Chris Cutliff followed with a single up the middle off Surico, who threw a no-hitter and struck out 17 in his last start.

Greco then scored when Gill’s relay throw on an attempted double play got by first baseman Monty Roberts.

But that was all Surico, a senior left-hander who has signed a letter of intent with Loyola Marymount, would allow.

He struck out John McTaggart and Pat Crawford to end the first and shut out the Knights for five more innings to improve his record to 8-1 and his strikeout total to 129. Larry Hausner retired the side in the seventh.

Meanwhile, the Tillers’ offense was busy scoring in every inning but the sixth. Gill’s homer gave Tustin a 7-1 lead in the third, and the Tillers continued to pound Foothill relievers Doug Kopcha, Tom Adams and Eric Merker.

Three of Floth’s four hits were doubles, center fielder Lee Pooler had two hits and scored two runs, and Matt Lundin added a two-run single for Tustin.

In other Century League action:

Santa Ana 8, El Modena 4--The Saints, who broke the game open by scoring five runs in the fifth inning, kept their playoff hopes alive at Santa Ana High. Junior right-hander Ray Lopez allowed one unearned run, four hits and struck out five to earn the win.

The Saints (8-5, 16-7) are tied for fourth place with El Modena (8-5, 11-9) but can gain a share of third place by defeating Foothill on Friday. If El Modena loses to Tustin Friday and Santa Ana defeats Foothill, the Saints would be the third playoff team by virtue of their two victories over Foothill.

Jaime Franco hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and Armando Olivares highlighted the fifth with a two-run double for Santa Ana, which has won four of its last five games. Brian Thomas added a sacrifice fly and Shaun Sterling walked in a run in the fifth.

Canyon 12, Villa Park 1--Todd French tied a school record with five hits, including three singles, a double, a triple and three RBIs, to help the Comanches defeat the Spartans at Canyon High. Second-place Canyon (9-4, 14-8) can clinch a playoff spot by defeating Orange on Friday.

Wayne Elmore went all the way on a three-hitter and struck out four to earn the victory. Joe Furukawa added two hits and two RBIs, and Chuck Zacour and Ralph Garcia each had two hits for the Comanches.

Santa Ana Valley 7, Orange 5 (nine innings)--Jimmy Ramirez hit a two-run single to tie the score, 5-5, in the top of the seventh inning, and the Falcons scored twice in the ninth to defeat the Panthers at Orange High. Braulio Ramos had a bases-loaded walk in the ninth, and Pete Perez had an RBI single for Santa Ana Valley (2-11, 6-18). Orange is 1-12, 5-16.