Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Cole Ayala approaches his teammates at home plate after blasting a three-run home run in the first inning of game two on Saturday.
The Fortuna bats came to play at McKinleyville on Saturday, as the Huskies posted a pair of statement wins that will have their Big 5 rivals on high alert.
After dropping their series opener against the Panthers on Wednesday, the Huskies exploded for 38 runs in a doubleheader rout to close out the three-game stand.
Fortuna won the opener 19-2 in five innings and took game two 19-9.
The Huskies scored 10 runs in the top of third inning to take control of game one and they would break open a tight game two with six runs in the fifth, four of them coming on a Cole Ayala grand slam.
“You’ve got to tip your hat to Fortuna, they came out and just flat out hit the ball today,” McKinleyville head coach Mike Dobrec said. “You can’t do nothing about what Fortuna did. They hit the ball very well and everything just went their way.”
Ayala’s grand slam was one of five Fortuna home runs on the day, as they scored their 38 runs on 31 hits.
Seven Fortuna players hit successfully in game one, with Cody Collins leading the way at the plate and finishing 2-for-2 with two home runs and a walk.
Rogan Gans also had a home run and a double, finishing 2-for-4, while Matt Letter was 3-for-3 with a double and a walk.
Ayala added a triple and Drew Franklin and Nathan Cleek each had a double, with Rylan Lommori rounding out an 11-hit team performance.
Collins pitched the win, striking out four in four innings, with Cayden Danbrauskas pitching the final inning to seal the victory.
The Fortuna bats carried that momentum into game two, with Ayala finishing 3-for-5 and blasting a pair of home runs, while driving in seven runs in the process.
Letter, Gans, Franklin and Cole Victorine each added three hits in the victory, as the Huskies improved to 2-1 in the Big 5 and 4-5-1 overall.
Victorine finished 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, with Collins remaining hot at the plate and adding two hits, while reaching base four times.
Tyler Schlesiger also had two hits and a walk, with Lommori rounding out a 20-hit team performance.
Ayala got the start on the mound and struck out two in 2.1 innings, with Letter getting the win in relief and striking out five in 4.2 innings.
Franklin also had three hits in Wednesday’s 8-5 loss to McKinleyville, with Ayala finishing 2-for-3 with a home run and a double and Collins adding a pair of hits.
The Huskies will be hoping to keep the momentum rolling when they travel to Del Norte for a Big 5 clash on Wednesday afternoon.
