PREP BASEBALL : Freeway League : Fullerton Powers Past Sonora, 19-16

The baseball forecast called for a slugfest Friday with a gusty wind blowing out of Fullerton High School’s cozy field, where the center-field fence is only 285 feet from home plate.

Fullerton hit 4 home runs and 3 doubles and needed all that power to hold off Sonora, 19-16, in a Freeway League baseball game.

Fullerton (13-5 overall, 6-2 in league) had 16 hits and took advantage of 11 walks to remain one game behind La Habra in the six-team league. The Indians have scored 37 runs in their past two games.

Sonora (9-9, 5-3) had 22 hits, including 3 homers and 4 doubles.

Sonora held a 9-6 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning, when Fullerton scored 11 runs. The Indians sent 16 batters to the plate and got 9 hits, including a towering grand slam by left fielder Jeff Manship.

The Raiders trimmed Fullerton’s 19-10 lead by scoring six runs in the last inning. Sonora had the tying run at the plate, but Mitch Kaylor grounded out to end the game.

“When I was coaching football, you dropped to a knee, protected your lead and let the clock run out,” said Marty Luczaj, Fullerton’s first-year coach. “This is a little different. You bet I was nervous in the last inning.”

Some of the individual highlights:

--Fullerton second baseman Bill Reicks drove in 5 runs, and Manship drove in 4 for the Indians. Reicks hit 2 homers and scored 4 runs.

--Fullerton third baseman Vince Chavira had a homer and 2 singles and drove in 3 runs. Teammate John Bailey had only one hit, but walked twice, was hit by a pitch and scored 4 runs. Catcher Steve DePhillips added 3 hits.

--Sonora third baseman Lance Storm had 5 hits, including a 3-run homer, scored 3 runs and had 4 RBIs.

--Sonora left fielder Kevin Cook hit 2 homers, a double and a single and drove in 6 runs.

La Habra 4, Troy 0--Rob Utz (5-1) threw a two-hitter, striking out seven, for host La Habra (11-5, 7-1).

Sunny Hills 24, Buena Park 1--Jeff White had 3 hits and 2 RBIs and Jason Sugarman had 2 hits and 2 RBIs, as Sunny Hills (7-11, 3-5) had 24 hits at Buena Park.