JUNIOR COLLEGE REGIONAL BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Fullerton Beats Moorpark to Punch in 14-1 Victory

The phrase “going, going, gone” pretty much describes the offense of the Fullerton and Moorpark college baseball teams Friday.

The five home runs that sixth-seeded Fullerton hit were going, going (long) gone, and Moorpark’s offense was simply gone, as in disappeared, missing in action, nonexistent.

Third-seeded Moorpark managed only five hits and lost, 14-1, in the first game of the Southern California junior college regional final at Riverside College.

Fullerton (27-14), which knocked Canyons out in the first round, now has put Moorpark one loss away from elimination in the four-team regional. Moorpark (24-13) will play second-seeded Rancho Santiago, a 14-7 loser to Riverside on Friday, at 10 a.m. today at the UC Riverside Sports Center.

Moorpark trailed, 6-0, after three innings and did not score until Don Smith doubled home Chadd Johnson in the bottom of the eighth.

“It was just one of those games where we just got blown out,” Moorpark Coach Ken Wagner said. “The game was over before we turned around.”

Actually, it was probably over after Moorpark turned around to watch Gary Mota’s two-run home run go screaming over the center-field fence in the first inning and then turned around twice more in the third to watch another Mota two-run home run go out, to left, and a two-run shot by Tom Wilson clear the fence in center.

“We made some mistakes with pitches up in the strike zone, and they hit them out,” Wagner said.

Fullerton starter Steve Trachsel handcuffed Moorpark. A sophomore right-hander, Trachsel (10-3) struck out seven in seven scoreless innings.

He did not allow a runner past second base and faced only one batter over the minimum in his final six innings. Darin Furlong had two hits and was the only batter among Moorpark’s first four to hit safely.

“Right now he’s at the top of his game,” Fullerton Coach Nick Fuscardo said of Trachsel, who beat Canyons last Friday. “Total command.”

Fullerton leadoff hitter Benny Rodriguez slapped Moorpark starter Jeff Berman’s first pitch for a double, which set the tone for the day. Balls were jumping off the Fullerton bats like spheroids on steroids, and Fullerton had a season-high 20 hits, 10 for extra bases.

Mota, the son of former Dodger Manny Mota, and Wilson each hit two home runs, and Jim Short added a two-run home run in the sixth. With their home runs, Mota and Short tied the Fullerton single-season record at 13.

Berman (9-2) allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 rocky innings, and neither of the two pitchers who relieved him escaped unscathed. John Dickinson allowed four runs in two innings, and Mike Goldstein allowed three unearned runs in 2 2/3 innings.