Sonora Roughs Up Buena Park, 12-6

As a public service to all those teams that still must play Sonora, heed this friendly warning: try to play on a day when the wind is brisk--and blowing in.

The unbeaten Raiders (6-0-1, 2-0) excel at hitting the long ball. They crashed three more home runs Friday in a 12-6 drubbing of host Buena Park, bringing the team’s season total to 18.

Matt Newman’s three-run shot in the fourth traveled about 370 feet, and the two-run and three-run homers by Ryan Owens and Tony Governale--both coming in a seven-run fifth--cleared the fence in center.

Sonora piled up a 12-1 lead on Buena Park (5-6, 1-2) before the Coyotes scored five runs in the seventh. Buena Park had some muscle too, getting home runs from Dusty Strike and Cesar Castillo.

Raiders Coach Pat Tellers was not all that pleased by the Coyotes’ recovery, even if it came against reserves he used in the final two innings.

“The guys have a tendency to go a little flat with leads,” said Tellers, who had an extended meeting with his team after the game. “It’s happened three times now. I keep telling them they’re going to run into a real good team that beats them, or another team that rises to the occasion. It’s all about having the proper mind-set.

“I was trying to give some extra guys playing time. But when they go in, I expect them to catch the ball, not boot it around like they did in the seventh.”

Buena Park could not make any move, however, until Sonora starter David Miller (3-0) left the game.

In five innings Miller gave up only one hit--Strike’s home run--and struck out nine. But it took him 36 pitches to get out of the fifth, striking out the side amid loading the bases on walks.

Buena Park committed four errors, two of which led directly and indirectly to eight of Sonora’s runs.

Starter Chris Perry (0-1) needed more help than that to hold off the defending Division II champions, who finally knocked out Perry, a junior right-hander, in the fifth.

“We’re still a young club who has things to learn,” Buena Park Coach Russ McHale said. “We were able to play them even for three innings, but they just keep coming at you. That big inning really took the wind out of us.”

In other Freeway League games:

Fullerton 10, Sunny Hills 9--Pedro Torres stole home to give Fullerton a 10-8 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Chad Lukkes had two hits and two RBIs and Mario Ramirez three hits and two runs for the Indians (6-3, 3-0), who stole seven bases.

La Habra 4, Troy 3--Geoff Shuler drove in the winning run with a single in the fifth inning for La Habra (3-5, 1-2). Teammate Manny Valenzuela went two for two, with a run scored.