Clay ArrittSanta Ana went against familiar foe in Fullerton over the weekend in the 3C2A Regional Final, where the Dons were able to complete another sweep and remain undefeated in the playoffs.
Game 1:
Santa Ana was able to secure an 11-6 victory in game one, showcasing their strong offensive prowess early on, which has become their identity.
They got out to a 6-0 lead by the end of the fifth inning, with nearly everybody in the lineup contributing by getting on base or coming through with a big hit.
“That’s been our recipe for success all year,” head coach Tom Nilles said. “We hang our hat on our offense being good. So yeah, it’s coming, it’s just a matter of when it comes, is it enough, and can our pitching staff do what they need to do.”
Sophomore starting pitcher Josh Rodriguez was dominant early on, inducing weak contact and throwing five scoreless innings to begin the game.
“It’s the best,” Rodriguez said about pitching behind this Dons’ offense. “It’s honestly a pitcher’s dream.”
Fullerton was able to show some life with two runs in the sixth off Rodriguez and two more in the seventh off reliever Matthew Solorzano.
Adrian Villegas would relieve Solorzano in a jam, coming in with one out in the top of the seventh in a 6-4 game with runners on second and third.
The hard-throwing right-hander would gather two strikeouts to get out of the inning, pick up his teammate, and keep the Dons on top.
“Villegas has our best stuff,” Coach Nilles explained. “It’s a no-brainer. When it’s nut-cutting time, we’re gonna go to Villegas.”
Santa Ana felt the pressure coming up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh.
Nathaniel Williams led the inning off with a walk followed by a double off the bat of Ben Melendrez. With runners on second and third, catcher Carlos Morales blasted his first home run of the season, coming at a great time to extend the Dons’ lead to 9-4.
“It felt good,” Morales said. “I hit one earlier this Monday during intra-squad. So I felt pretty good going into this game. I was sitting on a curveball, I saw it pop out of his hand, I knew, and put a good swing on it.”
Santa Ana found their power stroke in this inning, as later in the seventh Aiden Marquez and Evan Reiter would strike for back-to-back homers to make it 11-4.
After Fulleron put up two in the top of the ninth, Dons’ typical closer Colin Galvin would get the final two outs to secure an 11-6 victory in game one.
Game 2:
Game two was eerily similar to game one, with the Dons securing a large early lead, Fullerton inching their way back in the game, and Santa Ana striking late to put the game away.
Starting pitcher Andrew Phillips, undefeated for the season, was on the mound for the Dons in game two, who, similarly to Rodriguez, threw five scoreless innings to begin the game. “I felt great,” Phillips said. “This is probably the best I’ve felt all year.”
It was a nifty baserunning play to get the first run on the board for Santa Ana in the top of the second. With Ken Tomitaka on third, Williams would get in a rundown between first and second, stalling long enough for Tomitaka to break for the plate and score.
Carlos Morales hit another no doubt homer, his second in as many games after not hitting one all year, to leadoff the third putting Santa Ana up 2-0. Morales would draw the start after his big game one, usually alternating starts with the Dons’ other catcher Treson Arita.
“Being super confident in myself up there and in my preparation,” Morales said is what’s been working for him. “It’s easy to play for these guys, because I love everyone so much on this team. Being on this team makes you a better player and elevates you in those big moments, because that’s what we train for.”
They would score three more in the third with a two-run single from Tomitaka and a run-scoring hit off the bat of Williams.
Barrett Ronson and Nikko Paoletto would come through in the fourth with runs batted in, and the Dons would strike for three more in the sixth thanks to more run-scoring hits from Tomitaka and Williams, and a double from Reiter to drive in a run to get them out to a commanding 10-0 lead.
“It’s easy, man. It’s definitely easy. It’s nice to be able to give up a three spot in the first, and just sit back knowing your offense is going to get it back in the next couple innings,” Phillips said. “It definitely makes life easy for me.”
Phillips ran into trouble in the sixth, getting tagged with four earned runs before being relieved by JP Sova. Sova was unable to record an out, facing three hitters while allowing two hits and walking another, getting charged for two of his own.
Johnny Morales would be the third pitcher of the sixth inning, and he would retire the first two hitters he faced with a strikeout and a pop-up to the catcher.
Fullerton cut the score to 10-7 with another run in the seventh before Johnny Morales got himself out of another jam with a big strikeout.
With two outs and a man on in the eighth, Fullerton catcher Kai Hopfel hit a ball well out to right field, but Paoletto was able to make an unbelievable leaping catch for the third out of the inning for the Dons.
“That’s where baseball games are won, especially championship games,” Paoletto said. “The team who makes the least amount of mistakes, usually ends up winning it all. So, if we can keep doing that, we’re gonna be gonna be good.”
Melendrez dug in with two away and nobody on in the ninth, and on the first pitch he drove a ball way over the left field fence for his first home run of the playoffs to make it 11-7 Dons. It was also the Dons’ 70th home run of the season as a team, showcasing their strength.
“It felt amazing,” Melendrez said. “Sticking to my approach, I was sitting fastball, he put one right over the plate, and just let it eat. It’s been ups and downs in the playoffs for me, but that home run felt amazing.”
Johnny Morales would get the final 11 outs of the game, recording his first save of the season, which couldn’t have been at a better time.
“It feels electric,” Johnny Morales said. “Being able to go in there, knowing the team is putting the ball in my hands, knowing that they have my back, and I’m gonna have theirs.”
Santa Ana has advanced to the 3C2A State Championships, which is a four-team bracket to decide the state champion. It’s the third time in four years they’ve advanced, aiming to replicate the magic of the 2023 team that won it all.
“We’ve been talking about it since we got here in the fall,” Paoletto explained. “We’re all here, might as well go win it. So, it’s gonna be fun. It feels awesome.”
Santa Ana believes they’re up for the test. “We’ve been working all year for this,” Melendrez said. “We’re ready. We’re definitely ready.”
Their first opponent will be Ohlone, who comes from the Bay area, on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Great Park in Irvine.
