Vikings Hold Off Fullerton for 7-6 Victory

The Long Beach City College baseball team edged out Fullerton College in a back-and-forth battle, securing a 7-6 win on Tuesday afternoon.

The Vikings struck first in the opening inning when third baseman Eshua Desai grounded out to third, bringing in center fielder Danny Rodriguez for the early 1-0 lead. Fullerton responded in the third, tying the game on a sacrifice fly. The Hornets then took the lead in the fourth on an RBI single, but Long Beach answered in the bottom half of the inning. Left Fielder Caleb Brandon's RBI single evened the score, followed by right fielder Ryan Lopetegui's infield single that pushed the Vikings ahead 3-2. A passed ball allowed another run to cross, giving Long Beach a 4-2 advantage.

Fullerton cut the deficit to 4-3 in the sixth, capitalizing on an error. However, the Vikings padded their lead in the seventh as second baseman Alejandro Rosas ripped a two-run double, followed by an RBI single from shortstop Jackson Pohl to make it 7-3.

The Hornets fought back late, by driving in two runs in the eighth and adding an RBI groundout in the ninth, but the Vikings held strong to secure the 7-6 victory.

On the mound, Max Ghiglieri (W, 1-1) earned the win, tossing 4.1 innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits, striking out seven. Sean Lovett followed with 1.2 scoreless innings, surrendering one unearned run while striking out one. Johann Gibbs provided 2.2 innings of relief, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits with three strikeouts. Cesar Corrales (Sv, 1) came in for the final out, securing his first save of the season.

Head Coach Casey Crook praised the late-game pitching effort, particularly from Corrales. "The first game ball went to Cesar for coming into that situation and just throwing strikes," Crook said. "He's come a long way since he first got here—he's really turned into a pitcher that we can trust. We haven't been able to have Caleb in the lineup yet, and I think having him in there today gave us a spark, so it's good to have him back."

Brandon emphasized the team's focus down the stretch. "It was about staying locked in until the end," he said. "We know our potential, so staying focused and getting it done—it's that simple."

The Vikings will look to build on this win in their next matchup on Tuesday, February 11 against Orange Coast College.