Golden West Rallies Late, Downs Fullerton 12-6 in Offensive Outburst
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
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1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | X | 12 | 12 | 3 |
Huntington Beach, Calif. — Golden West College exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to cap off a wild 12-6 victory over visiting Fullerton College in Orange Empire Conference play on Thursday afternoon.
The Rustlers (20-16, 8-9 OEC) trailed for much of the contest before flipping the script late, riding a furious rally fueled by clutch hitting and Fullerton miscues to earn their 20th win of the season.
Trailing 6-4 entering the bottom of the eighth, Golden West put runners on with a walk, a passed ball, and an infield single. Roman Meyers drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game, and Cole Belfanti delivered the go-ahead blow with a two-run single to center, giving the Rustlers an 8-6 lead. JJ Robles followed with an RBI single before Jonny Rodriguez capped the inning with a towering three-run homer to right, putting the game out of reach.
Rodriguez finished the day 2-for-5 with 3 RBIs and his second homer of the season, while Robles stayed red-hot, going 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Bryan Martinez was a spark atop the order, going 4-for-5 with three runs and a double.
Golden West used three pitchers in the win, with Wyatt Thomas (1-2) earning his first victory of the year after tossing 1.2 scoreless innings in relief. Starter David Ladjevic allowed five runs over 4.2 innings, including a pair of home runs by Fullerton's Dillon Anderson, who accounted for five of the Hornets' six RBIs with a pair of blasts.
Fullerton (17-19, 7-10 OEC) saw its early lead slip away despite Anderson's big day. The Hornets committed four errors, walked four, and allowed eight runs in the eighth inning alone — only three of which were earned.
Golden West out-hit Fullerton 12-5 on the day and now moves one step closer to .500 in conference play. The two teams continue their three-game series on Saturday.
Up Next:
Golden West travels to Fullerton for Game 3 of the series on Friday, April 18. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
