LJ baseball 0, Rocklin 3

Viking starter Nick Hammel limited the Thunder

to one run in his first five innings, and gave up

seven hits overall. (Photo by Ed Piper, Jr.)

By Ed Piper, Jr.

La Jolla right-hander Nick Hammel pitched five-hit ball, yielding no runs for five innings, but Rocklin's J.T. Fitzpatrick out-dueled him, shutting out the Vikings, 3-0, to take home the victory in the Lions Tournament Wed., April 12.

The senior Hammel, who has pitched well this season but on several occasions has received a no-decision, retired eight Thunder batters in a row during a stretch in the second, third, and fourth innings. He didn't give up any walks until the fifth and sixth inning, striking out five.

The Thunder, taking a welcome Spring Break from school, near Sacramento, after the torrential rains earlier this year made their home field unplayable at times, finally broke through in the top of the sixth for a single unearned run against Hammel.

In the inning, after the right-hander struck out Mitchell Secondo looking, designated hitter Chase Webb got aboard by forcing Cole Brown at second base. Hammel walked Kyle Wojciechowski, who had one of Rocklin's hits.

After a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, eighth-slot hitter Spencer Schaller hit a bounder to Viking shortstop Zach Sehgal. Sehgal got a glove on the ball, but it glanced off for an error, and the runner on third scored. Belatedly, Hammel was able to get the third out in the inning by forcing Nik McClaughry to ground out to him, but the damage had been done.

The Thunder were able to add two insurance runs in the top of the seventh, with left-hander Blaise Gimber relieving Hammel after he gave up a single to the leadoff hitter, Cole Anderson. But the Viking hitters were not able to generate any offense against Fitzpatrick, and he took home the complete-game win.

The senior from the Northern California school, northeast of Sacramento, scattered seven La Jolla hits and struck out eight. It was his second win of the season without a loss to tie for his team's lead. Fitzpatrick is now 2-0.

Meanwhile, Hammel, the hard-luck pitcher, drops to 0-2 on the season.