San Pedro baseball is powered by sophomore Dom Porter

Dom Porter is a 16-year-old sophomore outfielder for San Pedro, but he’s already shown a willingness to embrace the pressure of an at-bat that could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

“The adrenaline is insane, and I love it,” he said.

There he was on Tuesday facing Banning ace Anthony Joya in the third inning. All the momentum was with Joya, who held a 2-0 lead. The count went to 2 and 2. Twice Porter fouled off pitches with runners on second and third and two outs.

“I was just telling myself look for my pitch. Battle and go up the middle,” he said.

And that’s what he did. He drove the ball up the middle for a two-run single to tie the score. San Pedro went on to pick up a 4-2 victory and improve to 15-1 overall and 3-0 in the Marine League.

“He’s been doing that all year,” coach Steve Tedesco. “He loves the big spot.”

Porter hit a two-run home run earlier this season to tie the score against Redondo. Joshua Duarte hit a run-scoring single in the fourth inning for a 3-2 lead and Jake Harper added a home run in the seventh off the Banning scoreboard. Travis Connelly (6-0) picked up the win, allowing four hits. Joya struck out eight in 52/3 innings.

San Pedro, which started no seniors in its lineup, is proving to be quite resilient in pressure games. It’s good preparation for the City Section playoffs and the inevitable games against the likes of San Fernando Valley powers Birmingham, Cleveland and El Camino Real.

“They’re not afraid of the moment,” Tedesco said of his young team.

In a girls’ softball showdown at San Pedro, Banning pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Pirates on a two-run home run from Ameyalli Vargas in the seventh inning.

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