Orange League : Ruscitto Gets HR Record, Valencia Gets Win

It wasn’t one of Andy Ruscitto’s patented, tape-measure blasts, but the Valencia High School junior’s home run in the sixth inning against Magnolia Friday was good for an Orange County record, and it also sparked a five-run inning that helped lead the Tigers’ to a 15-10, come-from-behind victory at Anaheim’s Brookhurst Park.

For the left-handed hitting Ruscitto, his 360-foot hit over the right-field fence with Jim Campanis on base was his 11th home run of the season. That broke the previous record of 10, set by Capistrano Valley’s Bill Dodd last year, which Ruscitto tied last week.

Valencia had trailed, 10-6, going into the sixth inning of the Orange League game when Campanis led off with a walk and Ruscitto followed with his two-run homer. Magnolia reliever Carlos Gonzales then walked three straight batters, and Ron Terrill scored on a passed ball to bring the Tigers to within one, 10-9.

Steve Street, who was the winning pitcher, then came up with the game-winning hit, a two-run single to left field, that gave Valencia an 11-10 lead.

The Tigers added four insurance runs in the seventh with the help of four Magnolia walks and two errors, but Kevin McConnell, the Valencia coach, thought it was Ruscitto’s home run that sparked the Tigers.

“That was what picked us up,� he said. “It brought us close. We showed a tremendous amount of character today.�

Neither team showed much pitching.

Four Magnolia pitchers--Tom Woodburn, Saul Osuna, Gonzales and Mike Tietge--combined to walk 16 batters, and three Valencia pitchers--Campanis, Shane Smith and Street--walked 6.

Campanis, who is being recruited by USC, Cal State Fullerton and Fresno State as an infielder, made his second start of the season and was rocked for five runs and five hits in three innings.

In his only other start, against Edison in April, he lasted one inning and allowed three runs.

Could Campanis be nearing the end of his pitching career?

“I hope so,� he said.

Smith pitched to three batters in the fourth inning and was replaced by Street, who gave up a prodigious, three-run homer to Gonzales, whose smash landed in the trees beyond the left-center field fence, some 420 feet away.

But Street settled down and allowed just one run and three hits over the last three innings to earn the victory.

Valencia scored four runs in the third inning to take a 6-1 lead, but Magnolia came back with three in the third, five in the fourth and one in the fifth to go ahead, 10-6.

The Sentinels couldn’t hold the lead, though, and lost all chances at a Southern Section playoff berth. Magnolia is two games behind third-place Savanna with two games to play, and, even if the teams finished in a tie, the Rebels will advance to the tournament on the strength of their 2-1 series edge over Magnolia.

Sentinel Coach Don Popovich wasn’t in the most talkative mood afterward.

“Our season is over--I’ve got nothing to say,� he said.

Said McConnell: “This is sweet for us, because we’ve gone through a lot of years when Magnolia knocked us out of the playoffs. This also is the first time we’ve beaten them, two out of three, in my four years here.�

Campanis, Ruscitto, Street, Tim Churchill, Jeff Martinez, and Randy Garcia each knocked in two runs for Valencia, which has won seven of its past eight games.

In other Orange League action:

Savanna 4, Brea-Olinda 0--Tim Pittman pitched a one-hit shutout to lead the Rebels past the Wildcats at Savanna. Brea’s only hit was a sixth-inning single by Steve Rosendale.

Savanna scored three runs in the first inning, two coming home on a double by Miguel Salas. Salas was 3 for 3 on the day.

Western 4, Anaheim 3--The Pioneers came back from a 3-0 deficit to win on a fifth inning single by Mike Frabotta. The Colonist had taken their three run lead on Wil Barber’s three-run home run in the second inning.

The Pioneers tied the score when John Ortiz singled home winning pitcher Rich Lodding (5-3). Lodding struck out eight.