There’s Consolation for Fountain Valley
El Dorado and Fountain Valley, two Orange County baseball powers that reside in different leagues, got a rare chance to face each other Thursday afternoon at Champions’ Park in Placentia.
Of course, the setting--a consolation-bracket game in the National Classic--wasn’t exactly what each team had hoped for, but you won’t hear the Barons’ Josh Bartusick or Casey Janssen complain.
Bartusick hit a two-run home run and added a two-run double, and Janssen hit a two-run home run of his own as No. 2 Fountain Valley turned a close game into a 7-2 laugher.
“We both came off tough losses [in quarterfinal games],” Baron Coach Ron LaRuffa said. “It was good to step up and win this one.”
Fountain Valley (16-4) will play Silverado (Nev.) in the fifth-place game at 3:30 p.m. today at Champions’ Park. El Dorado (11-8) plays Esperanza in the seventh-place game at 2:30 p.m. today at Esperanza.
After starting the season in a slump, Bartusick continued a hitting tear that has spanned the last two weeks by going three for four with four runs batted in, giving him 23 for the season.
Bartusick said extra batting practice and an attitude adjustment have made the difference. “I was always thinking in practice about what I did wrong,” he said. “Finally I just stopped thinking and [started] swinging instead.”
Janssen, the Barons’ starting pitcher, helped his own cause by going two for three with a triple and home run, his eighth of the season. He surrendered his first two earned runs of the season but still pitched 5 1/3 strong innings to improve to 5-0.
Fountain Valley reliever Brent Erickson bailed Janssen out of a jam in the sixth inning, then pitched a perfect seventh to pick up his third save.
Erickson walked Chris Wilson, the first batter he faced, to load the bases with one out. Zach Mullinax’s single dropped in front of left fielder Casey Clark, allowing Brian Zurhellen to score the Golden Hawks’ second run and make it 4-2, but Clark’s throw to third base nailed Brett Marro for the second out. Erickson then got Micah Hazen to ground to first.
“We had a chance to get back in it,” El Dorado Coach Steve Gullotti said. “That’s been the story for our team--we can’t get a hit when we need it. We’ll pop it up or ground out. Against good teams you have to capitalize, and we’re not doing it.”
Fountain Valley blew the game open in the seventh on Bartusick’s two-run double to left.
In the Empire League:
Kennedy 11, Cypress 10--Matt Monahan hit a three-run home run in the first inning, and Steve Yadden had three hits and scored two runs to lead the Fighting Irish (11-5-1, 7-3-1) at Kennedy.
In the Florida Sunshine National Tournament:
Miami Pace 5, Foothill 2--Foothill starter Mike Castillo (3-3) gave up five runs in the first three innings of the championship game.
In the Santa Ana Elks Tournament:
Diamond Bar 7, La Quinta 4--After La Quinta rallied with two runs in the fifth inning to tie the score, 4-4, Diamond Bar came back with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to hand the Aztecs their first loss of the season. Freshman Ian Stewart had two doubles for La Quinta (21-1).
Century 5, Pacifica 4 (8)--Hugo Ornelas (1-1) struck out three, walked one and allowed seven hits for Century (4-12) in a consolation game. Gabriel Gomez won the game with a bases-empty home run in the top of the eighth inning.
Santiago 7, Garden Grove 4--Sophomore Lee Sutherland had three hits and four RBIs for the Cavaliers (11-8) in the consolation championship game.
