Nix leads Griffins to win over Oilers

The Los Alamitos High baseball team split two games last week in Sunset League play to go to 1-2 in league play. The Griffins turned in a strong defensive and pitching effort in 2-0 win over Huntington Beach last week that event their record at 1-1 at the time.

 

Jacob Nix went the distance, allowing just one hit and two walks, while striking out three. Nix had some key defensive help, getting a couple of key catches in the outfield on a few hard hit balls by the Oilers. Ironically, it was a bloop single to short right field that dropped in between defenders and broke up the no hitter. Nix improved his record to 3-0 with the win and had head coach Matt Nuez impressed with his sophomore hurler’s early season play.

 

“I think the sky’s the limit for this young man,” Nuez said.

 

Huntington Beach’s Shane Grace matched Nix inning for inning, as he struck out nine during his six innings of work. The Griffins were finally able to break through in the bottom of the fifth to break the scoreless tie. Senior infielder Dan Austin led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a double.

 

He was immediately followed by an RBI single by senior catcher Andrew Yazdanbakhsh that drove in pinch runner Dallas Probert for what would prove to be the only run the Griffins would need.

 

But the Griffins would come up short two days later, as Newport Harbor rallied for a late-game 7-6 win over Los Alamitos. The Sailors would score two in the sixth and three in the seventh to overcome a 6-1 deficit.

 

Yazdanbakhsh and Patrick Ivison each had two hits with a double to lead the Griffins. Austin also doubled for Los Alamitos. The Griffins bounced back over the weekend with a 7-0 win over South Torrance in a nonleague game. The Griffins pounded out 11 hits, led by two hits each from Austin, Ivison, Francesco Padulo and Mick Schroeder. Cody Marshall had a hit, RBI and two runs.

 

The Griffins will play at Edison on Friday, also at 3 p.m.