Titans roll into regional final with 16-6 victory
Joey Rickard and Jeff Malm played key roles in each of Bishop Gorman’s four consecutive state high school baseball championships.
And despite graduating, the duo isn’t done helping Gorman.
Rickard scored four runs and Malm had four RBIs on Saturday as Gorman downed host Fairfield (Calif.) 16-6 to move into the championship game of the American Legion Western Regional.
Gorman (60-12) improved to 3-0 in the tournament. The Titans are the only undefeated team and will play Tucson (Ariz.) at 7 tonight. Gorman is guaranteed to play on the tournament’s final day Monday.
Fairfield (29-11) will play Kailua (Hawaii) at 4 p.m. today in an elimination game.
Rickard, an Arizona signee, went 5-for-6 with two doubles and three RBIs. Malm, who has signed with Southern California, was 4-for-6 with two doubles and two runs.
The Gaels led 5-4 before using a three-run sixth to pull away. Gorman then scored six runs in the eighth to take a 15-4 lead before allowing two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Malm and Rickard each had a two-run single in the eighth, and the Titans took advantage of two bases-loaded walks.
Gorman wasted little time taking the lead, scoring two runs on four hits in the first. Rickard led off with a double and scored on a single by Malm. After Malm was thrown out trying to take second on the play, Johnny Field doubled and later scored on an RBI single by Erik Van Meetren.
Van Meetren had four hits, including a double, and three RBIs, and T.J. White had three hits for Gorman. Joey Gallo drove in three runs for the Titans.