ROUNDUP : Tustin’s Green Sets County Career Record for Hits During Tiller Victory

Shawn Green of Tustin set the Orange County high school career record for hits with a triple in the fourth inning of Friday’s game.

Green’s two hits were among 14 for Tustin as the Tillers beat Saddleback, 10-3, in a Sea View League game at Saddleback High.

Green, a left-handed hitting senior outfielder, hit Ralph Lopez’s fastball over center fielder Luis Estrella’s head for the 130th hit of his career, topping the previous record of 129 set by Laguna Hills’ Chris Sheff in 1989. Green had tied the mark with a run-scoring single to left in the second.

“I think he can relax now and swing the bat the way he’s capable,” Tustin Coach Vince Brown said. “If anyone can handle the pressure, it’s Shawn Green.”

But Green denied feeling any pressure.

“I wasn’t really that worried about it,” he said. “I was more concerned that our team really hadn’t been playing that well lately.”

Tustin (13-5, 8-1 in league) broke open a 2-2 game with six runs in the sixth. Zack Elliott’s two-run triple and Ben Strack’s bases-loaded double, which drove in three runs, were the big hits.

Saddleback (9-8-1, 4-4-1) fell behind, 10-3, in the seventh after Elliott’s second triple and Andy Gonzales’ double. Strack drove in the final run with a groundout to second.