SWEEPING IN FOR A 2ND PLACE FINISH IN THE OEC

The Hornets completed the regular season on the road Thursday sweeping Saddleback College 6-5 for a second place Orange Empire Conference finish.

Fullerton (10-8 OEC) needed a three-game-sweep over Saddleback to secure a spot in the postseason, and they got it. Cypress College also helped the Hornets lock down second place in the Orange Empire Conference by sweeping Golden West (9-9 OEC) this week. The Chargers (15-3) finished the regular season tied for first place with Orange Coast (15-3) sharing the OEC title with the Pirates.

The Hornets did not waste any time capitalizing on a first-inning Bobcat error before Linsey Arostigue delivered a two-run single to give FC an early 3-0 lead.

Saddleback hit back in the bottom half of the first when Malia Garcia scored on a wild pitch and Ka'ui Garcia hit a double scoring Tasneem Kerdiya cutting the deficit to 3–2.

Fullerton went up 4-2 in the top of the third thanks to a sacrifice fly to deep center by Avery Wiersma that gave Veronica Moore the chance to run home from third.

Saddleback surged ahead in the bottom of the third with three more runs, including a two-RBI double from McKenzie Lombard that pushed the Gauchos in front 5–4.

The Hornets kept chipping away in the sixth when Bethany Morrison roped a double to left-center scoring Hope Morales to tie the game at 5–5.

The decisive blow came in the top of the seventh. With two on and one out, Milene Mendoza delivered a clutch RBI single up the middle allowing Jianna Lopez to cruise home keeping Fullerton on top for good.

FC starting pitcher Grace Workman earned the complete-game victory scattering 8 hits and 5 runs over 7 innings. She had no walks and had 2 strikeouts for her 11^th win on the season.

Up Next: The Hornets (17-21 overall, 10-8 OEC) await their postseason fate. Stay tuned to see who they will play in the 3C2A Southern California Regionals.

*Photo by Jayden Babineau