ORANGE COUNTY PREP BASEBALL : Freeway League : Troy’s Robinson Pitches 2-Hitter

Troy High School pitcher Chris Robinson limited Fullerton to two hits as the Warriors moved to within one victory of clinching the Freeway League championship with an 8-0 victory Wednesday at Fullerton.

Robinson (9-2) allowed only a ground-rule double to Fullerton’s Jeff Bailey in the fourth inning and an infield single to Jeff Manshie in the fifth. It was the first shutout of the season on Troy’s compact field, which measures 307 feet to left field and 352 feet to center.

Robinson used a fastball, a split-fingered fastball and an occasional curve to keep Fullerton off balance. He struck out seven to improve his season total to 98 strikeouts, only two off the school record of 100, set by Mike Greer last season.

“I only made one bad pitch today,” Robinson said. “It was a hanging changeup to Bailey and he bounced it over the fence. I thought my curveball was flat when I was warming up, but everything else was working well.

“I think it’s quite an accomplishment to shut out a good-hitting team like Fullerton. Hopefully, some (major) colleges will start noticing me.”

Robinson has his share of attention from college coaches in this game. Scott Pickler of Cypress, Nick Fuscardo of Fullerton and Augie Garrido of Cal State Fullerton were all in the stands to watch Robinson.

“There are some pitchers in the county who might be mechanically better than Chris Robinson, but I like the way he competes and goes right after the hitters,” Garrido said. “Yes, he’s a Division I prospect.”

Robinson also showed he’s pretty good at the plate. The senior drove in the only runs he needed in the third inning with a bases-loaded single down the right-field line that scored two runs. One pitch later, the Warriors padded the lead to 5-0 when third baseman Mike Case hit a three-run homer over the center-field fence.

The Warriors, who came into the game with a team batting average of .402, had nine hits to give Fullerton starter Jeff Middlebrooks (5-2) the loss. The Warriors left only two runners on base, quite an improvement over the 25 runners that were stranded in two games last week.

“We played our worst game of the season (a 10-5 loss to La Habra) last Friday, so it was good to see us come back and play well today,” said Bruce King, Troy coach. “We haven’t lost two games in a row all year, so I thought we could bounce back.”

Troy, 10-2 in the six-team league, can clinch the championship on Friday with a victory over Fullerton, which slipped to 8-4. The Warriors are seeking their first league title since 1979.

Sonora 10, Sunny Hills 3--David Streiter had three hits and drove in two runs to lead the Raiders (6-6, 9-12) at home. Teammates David Morris (two hits and two RBIs) and Mitch Kaylor (two RBIs and two stolen bases) also contributed to the rout. Brent Smith (2-2) pitched five innings to get the victory. Sunny Hills is 5-7, 10-12.

Buena Park 7, La Habra 4--The Coyotes (1-11, 1-15) got their first victory of the season at La Habra. La Habra is 6-6, 9-9.