Hiestand Tosses Gem as Baseball Downs L.A. Mission

TORRANCE, Calif. --- Freshman AJ Hiestand dumbfounded the L.A. Mission offense on Saturday afternoon as El Camino College scored a 7-1 non-conference victory at Warrior Field.

Hiestand allowed just one run on two hits in seven innings of work for the Warriors (9-3) as he picked up his second win of the season. He struck out eight without issuing a walk.

On the offensive side, Theo Forshey went yard for the second straight day as he went 2-for-3 with a double, home run and four RBI. Juan Carlos Camarena also had a multi-RBI day with his only hit, a two-run double in the sixth inning, the same frame as Forshey's two-run blast.

For the Eagles, Gavino Rosales suffered the loss on the mound after allowing six runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

The Warriors got things started early as four of the first five ECC batters recorded a hit in the bottom of the first. Dylan Knowles hit a lead-off single and then Daniel Murrillo followed suit with a single through the left side.

Ben Griffin opened the scoring with an RBI single through the left side and then Forshey doubled to the gap in right-center field to clear the bases and give ECC an early 3-0 lead.

The Eagles got one back in the second inning as Devin Leclair blasted a solo home run to right on the first pitch of the inning from Hiestand.

But that was all the visitors would get off of Hiestand as the righty was spectacular, retiring 19 of the next 21 batters he faced including 14 straight. He needed just 89 pitches to get through seven innings.

The Warriors will now head into South Coast Conference action beginning on Tuesday as they welcome longtime rival Long Beach to Warrior Field with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. It will be the first meeting between the teams since April 6, 2019; a game the Warriors won 8-3 at Warrior Field