TUSTIN — Lucas Welch threw a shutout for Beckman’s baseball team in a crucial Pacific Coast League win over Laguna Hills 2-0 on Tuesday at Beckman High.
The senior threw seven innings, held Laguna Hills to just three hits and struck out seven.
“The key was staying mentally strong,” Welch said. “First inning, my velocity was down but that’s common. Mentally I stayed strong, had confidence and next thing I knew it was a complete-game shutout.”
“If you can throw three pitches for strikes, it’s going to be a lot easier for you, and Lucas can do that,” Beckman coach Kevin Lavalle said. “He competed like crazy.”
Welch only allowed two baserunners after the first inning and retired 12 hitters in a row at one point in the game.
Billy Schellenberg pitched well for Laguna Hills (10-3, 10-3) but only pitched four innings due to a high-pitch count. He only allowed one hit in the first three innings before surrendering the two runs to Beckman (10-3, 10-3) in the fourth inning.
“We faced him a few weeks ago and he was just as effective then,” Lavalle said of Schellenberg. “That’s what it’s all about. You’re going to have to beat good pitchers if you consider yourself a top team in this league.”
The Patriots finally got to Schellenberg in the fourth inning. Jacob Zamosky hit a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Paul Murrow hit a double to drive in Zamosky to put the Patriots ahead 1-0.
Murrow stole third base and Ashton Kanegae drove him in with a single to give Beckman a 2-0 lead.
“We made some adjustments because we couldn’t look for one pitch with him,” Lavalle said. “Those guys had some unselfish at-bats and the results were good.”
Jordan Volk threw two perfect innings in relief for the Hawks and struck out two.
Beckman leads the season series against Laguna Hills 2-1. The teams, who are tied for second place in the Pacific Coast League behind Woodbridge, meet Thursday for the final time this season.
“Every game matters now. We are two games behind Woodbridge and we can’t afford to play poorly,” Lavalle said. “We had a heartbreaking loss (against Woodbridge) on Friday and yesterday’s practice was flat, so I was concerned. These guys proved today that they are competitors.”
