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    Sunny Hills softball holds off Fullerton to stay undefeated in Freeway League
    • April 14, 2023

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    FULLERTON — Sunny Hills softball pitcher Alexis Perez encountered one jam after another during the final three innings at Fullerton on Thursday.

    The Indians had runners at second and third with one in the fifth, and loaded the bases with one out in the sixth and seventh.

    And if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, Perez also dealt with nausea, especially in the last inning. Lancers coach Elise Laws visited the sophomore in the circle and the game was briefly stopped.

    Sunny Hills stuck with Perez, and she rewarded the first-place Lancers by escaping a final bases-loaded jam en route to a 3-2 victory in the Freeway League.

    Perez sealed Sunny Hills’ sixth league victory in as many games by forcing a groundout to freshman first baseman Elayna Marquez with two outs and bases loaded.

    One batter earlier, Sunny Hills third baseman Gabby Flores threw out the potential tying-run at home plate after she dropped a fly ball behind the bag with the bases loaded. The senior alertly fired a strike to catcher Riley Gonzalez for the second out.

    Perez credited Flores — who also hit a home run in the third — for her encouragement throughout the game — but Flores praised her pitcher.

    “It’s going to come down to who wants it more, and Alexis wanted it more,” Flores said. “She threw a great game.”

    Sunny Hills (9-5-1, 6-0), ranked No. 23 in Orange County, has struggled with pitching depth this season because Perez and junior Maddie Moreno have dealt with injures. But the Lancers have opened a two-game lead over No. 24 Fullerton (18-3, 4-2) as they pursue the league title.

    “She powered through,” Laws said of Perez. “I’m proud of her. It’s not easy to come out for a game like this when you’re not feeling well and you almost want to throw-up. That takes character and it takes heart.”

    “That’s a huge win for us today,” the coach added.

    End of 4th @SoftballSunny 3 Fullerton 0 Alexis Perez helping her cause by starting a slick double play @ocvarsity pic.twitter.com/4AHA49fSJl

    — Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) April 14, 2023

    The Indians scored twice in the seventh. Freshman ace Malaya Majam-Finch drew a bases-loaded walk with one out to bring in one run and catcher Maiah Rodriguez followed with an infield single to drive in another.

    Flores led off the third by launching the first pitch over the fence in left for second home run. The solo shot gave Sunny Hills a 3-0 lead against Majam-Finch (11-2), who entered with a 0.29 ERA.

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    The Lancers scored two unearned runs in the first by capitalizing on three errors and a passed ball.

    In the teams’ first meeting in league, Sunny Hills scored six runs — one earned — in the first inning en route to a 6-0 victory.

    Fullerton coach Trevor Holton was pleased how his team recovered from its shaky first inning, especially considering he started five freshmen. The Indians finished with eight hits, including two from freshman Abby Galvan.

    “They just haven’t been tested the way Sunny Hills has,” Holton said of his young squad. “They’re starting to figure (it) out.”

    ​ Orange County Register 

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