Sunny Hills Goes to Top of Classes for 3-2 Victory

FULLERTON —  Sunny Hills was facing elimination in the Southern Section Division 4-A baseball playoffs Tuesday at the hands of Arroyo Grande, and there wasn’t much room for hope. Eagle pitcher Andy Colletti had held the Lancers hitless going into the bottom of the sixth inning.

But the five seniors at the top of the Lancer batting order came through in a big way. They roughed up Colletti for three runs in the sixth and Sunny Hills held on for a 3-2 victory at Sunny Hills. The come-from-behind victory advances the Lancers (16-12) into Friday’s quarterfinals against Irvine, a 4-3 winner over Riverside Arlington.

Colletti had faced only 18 batters and led, 2-0, when Brian Dewispelaere led off the sixth. Dewispelaere ended Colletti’s mastery with a double down the right-field line. Steve Mellano beat out a bunt to put runners on first and third.

Steve Ashton, another senior, took Colletti’s pitch deep to right-center for a triple, driving in two runs to tie the score, 2-2. Ashton scored what proved to be the winning run on catcher Erren O’Leary’s sacrifice fly to center.

“Those five guys, back-to-back, have been playing together for the last two or three years,” said Lancer Coach Doug Elliott. “They really came through when it counted. Colletti is a very good pitcher, and Arroyo Grande is a good team.”

Arroyo Grande (17-5) took a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning when they finally got to Mellano, Sunny Hills’ starter, for two runs on two hits and an error.

Robert Berns led off the inning with a double down the right-field line and took third when first baseman Brian Volpp misplayed Pete Rodriguez’s ground ball for an error. Colletti helped his own cause with a perfect bunt on a squeeze play, scoring Berns from third.

Mellano continued to struggle as he hit the next batter, Brent Matrullo. After getting Aaron Myers to hit into a fielder’s choice, Bryan Madsen hit a two-out single to center to drive in the second run.

Elliott then brought in Dewispelaere to relieve Mellano. Sunny Hills ended the threat when O’Leary picked off Myers at second base.

Dewispelaere (3-1) held the Eagles scoreless for the final two innings, allowing only a single by Rodriquez with one out in the seventh.