SUNSET LEAGUE BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Bill’s Home Run Helps Ocean View Top Barons

Ocean View High School’s Kevin Bill will be the first to admit his second-inning home run against Fountain Valley Friday wasn’t an awesome sight.

He got under an inside pitch somewhat but a strong wind helped carry the ball over the left-field fence. Impressive or not, the hit gave Ocean View a two-run lead and Jim Gwaltney pitched a four-hitter as Ocean View won, 8-0, in a Sunset League opener.

“It was just a good, level swing,” Bill said of his homer. “I was sitting back in the box waiting for a fastball and I got it. It wasn’t the best of home runs, it was kind of high.”

Even so, Bill, who has struggled in his first season at the varsity level, wasn’t complaining. Ocean View Coach Steve Barrett said Bill, a junior catcher batting ninth in the order, was hitting about .150 entering the game.

“Is it that high?” Bill said of his batting average. “I haven’t been hitting the best. I’ve been trying to pull everything.”

Bill, who was two for two, added a two-run, bases-loaded single in the third inning to increase Ocean View’s lead to 7-0.

“This is his first year on varsity and the pitching is a little better,” Barrett said. “We expected him to struggle at first, but he hit the ball today. It’s great for him--a junior in his first Sunset League game--to go deep on his first at-bat. He sparked us.”

Many of Bill’s teammates shared his success at the plate. Daniel Hernandez and Keith Herrell also had two hits. Hernandez doubled off the left-field wall in the second inning to give Ocean View (6-2) a 4-0 lead. The Seahawks finished with 11 hits.

The lead was safe with Gwaltney (3-0), who struck out five.

“I just used my split-fingered fastball, kept them off-balance,” Gwaltney said. “That’s been working all season and I’ll stick with it until something happens.”

Gwaltney, a 6-foot-5 left-handed senior, pitched around trouble much of the game. Fountain Valley (3-5) had runners in scoring position in four of the first five innings.

“They dominated us in every area of the game,” Fountain Valley Coach Ron LaRuffa said. “We had the opportunities. We just didn’t clutch up with runners on base.”

In other league games:

Huntington Beach 6, Edison 0--Kenny Mays pitched his second consecutive shutout and James Marietti had two RBIs to lead visiting Huntington Beach (6-4, 1-0). Mays (2-1), a senior left-hander, allowed six hits and struck out seven. The senior also shut out Loara in the Loara tournament on March 5. Edison dropped to 5-2, 0-1.

Marina 5, Westminster 2--Marc Newfield had a solo home run and a sacrifice fly for visiting Marina (3-4-1, 1-0). Robin Lindsey, David Schultz and Travis Boyd each had two hits and scored a run for Marina. Westminster is 2-6, 0-1.