Glendale Community College baseball comes up comeback short in elimination loss to Fullerton

GLENDALE — GLENDALE —

Comebacks and late-inning heroics have been many and close between all season long for the Glendale Community College baseball team.

But it was two dramatic efforts against Glendale that led to a heartbreaking end for the Vaqueros.

For the second time in as many days, visiting Fullerton rallied to claim victory in its final at-bats.

On Saturday, the Hornets, who were the home team in game two at Stengel Field, trailed for the duration of the contest. That was until the bottom of the eighth, when Kevin Foley went to the opposite field with a bases-loaded double to lift 17th-seeded Fullerton to a 3-2 win over No. 2 Glendale that won the California Community College Athletic Assn. Southern California Regional first-round series, 2-0.

“It’s a very good team,” Vaqueros Coach Chris Cicuto said. “Our pitching staff was outstanding this series.”

In two games, the Glendale staff allowed just seven runs to a Fullerton lineup that was averaging better than eight runs a game coming into the series.

“Glendale’s staff just pitched us really tough,” Hornets Coach Nick Fuscardo said. “They just played us really tough overall. I’ve got to find out how they got that game plan.”

With the win, Fullerton (17-21) advances to the following weekend’s second round, where it will play No. 7 Chaffey or No. 10 College of the Canyons. Glendale (28-9), which won the Western State Conference South Division for the fifth time in six seasons, is headed home after the first round for the first time in its run of titles.

However, though the series outcome looks like an upset based on the seedings, the Hornets were arguably the finest first-round team the Vaqueros have played. Heading into the last week of the regular season, Fullerton was likely to be the No. 2 seed, but the use of an ineligible player caused the forfeit of 12 games and when the Southern California bracket was released, a possible semifinal or state matchup at Fresno College came to be in the first round.

“I told Chris, ‘We should’ve been playing up in Fresno,’” Fuscardo said.

But as has been his reaction since the brackets were released, Cicuto was not bitter.

“It’s not bitterness, it’s just a tough, tough draw,” Cicuto said. “It’s just super unfortunate. You’d like to have a better matchup in the first round. But there’s no excuses; you’ve got to beat them eventually and we had a shot to do it in both games.”

On Friday, in a 13-inning marathon that featured a rain delay of nearly two hours, Fullerton emerged from an early 1-0 Glendale lead with the advantage late. The Vaqueros rallied to tie it only to lose on a home run in the top of the 13th by Austin O’Banion.

Following a later start to Saturday’s game to prepare the field after the soggy Friday, Glendale once again got an early single-run lead.

On just the fifth pitch of the game, Glendale’s Frank Garriola sent a home run off the top of the fence in right-center field for a 1-0 lead.

“You come off of a heartbreaking loss last night and Frank comes up and kind of sets the tone,” Cicuto said.

Fullerton fired right back, though, when shortstop Justin Row, who was phenomenal all day in the field, pulled a no-doubt solo home run over the left-field fence to tie it.

In the top of the second, Glendale produced more when a one-out Ricky Perez double down the line was followed with a two-out single to center field by Zack Mausser for a 2-1 lead.

But while the tone appeared to be set for Glendale’s offense, Perez’ run proved to be the last of the season for the Vaqueros, as Fullerton’s Louie Corral went eight innings for the win, allowing the two runs on five hits.

“Tip your cap to Corral,” Cicuto said.

GCC pitched out of trouble for most of the game, as the Hornets tallied 10 hits, but stranded 10 base runners.

Glendale starter Tei Vanderford (St. Francis High) notched a strikeout with runners on the corners to end the third before an unassisted double play by first baseman Liam Shibata ended the fourth. In the fifth, the Vaqueros recorded two outs on one play thanks to a batter’s interference call before the runner was then run down. But Fullerton put two runners on with two outs again before Vanderford induced a groundout to end the threat.

Overall, Vanderford went five innings with one run and five hits allowed for the no-decision.

Crescenta Valley High product Joe Torres came on to start the sixth and got two quick outs before the Hornets loaded the bases with back-to-back singles and a walk. But Torres hung tough and induced a grounder.

A 1-2-3 seventh followed for Torres, but the tide was turned in the eighth when Fullerton loaded the bases with one out. Torres induced a flyout to short right to hold the runners, but Foley clutched up, curling an opposite-field shot that dropped just inside the foul line and just in front of a diving attempt by Cristian Montes, who had previously made an outstanding catch in the sixth.

“Yeah, I got nervous,” said Fuscardo about his team failing to cash in its opportunities. “When we got to the eighth, I said, ‘Let’s get two and get out of here,’ and, how about that, it happened.”

Fullerton’s Chris Sanchez came on for the save in the ninth, recording a 1-2-3 inning on just four pitches.

And just like that, a pair of one-run games and an unfortunate draw concluded the Vaqueros’ season.

“That’s not the toughest part,” said Cicuto, who has 15 sophomores on his roster. “The toughest part is saying good bye to those sophomores.

“That’s the most emotional part.”