San Diego Prep Baseball : Taylor Comes to Lincoln’s Rescue in Win Over Morse

Lincoln High School Coach Shan Deniston knows which relief pitcher he’ll call on when the Hornets are in a tight spot: Steve Taylor, the regular center fielder.

“Steve will be our reliever all year long,” Deniston said. “When we’re in trouble, he’ll get us out.”

Taylor did just that against Morse on Wednesday afternoon. Replacing starter Keith Cotton in the fifth inning, the right-hander worked his way out of two jams as Lincoln beat the Tigers 3-0, at Morse in a nonleague game.

The Hornets were leading 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth when Morse’s Tony Wiggins opened the inning with a soft single to center. Ralph Portillo was hit by a pitch, which brought Deniston out of the dugout and Taylor to the mound.

Taylor, throwing mostly curveballs, got Tony Bell and Hector Gill to ground out before he walked Carlos Garcia to load the bases. Taylor threw three straight balls to the next hitter, pitcher David Espiritu, but managed to strike him out and end the inning.

Although the Hornets had picked up a second run in their half of the inning, Morse’s sixth wasn’t easy for Taylor, either. Tiger catcher Tyrone Gipson singled with one out and Mike Richardson on first base. When Lincoln right fielder Kevin Mitchell overthrew his cutoff man, Richardson advanced to third and Gipson to second. But Taylor struck out Wiggins and got Portillo to hit a nubber to first base to quash another Morse rally.

“Steve had good stuff,” Lincoln catcher Malcolm Glover said. “That curveball had ‘em running. It’s his best pitch.”

Taylor worked three innings and allowed two hits and struck out three. The save was his first of the year. Cotton, a submarining right-hander, pitched well enough to improve his record to 4-1. It was the first shutout for the Hornets (8-3-1) this season. Espiritu (5-2) took the loss.

In the second inning, it looked like Morse (8-6) had scored the game’s first run. Gipson hit a two-out single with two men on to score Garcia. However, Tommy Atalig missed second base on the way to third, nullifying the run.

“That was crucial,” Taylor said. “It hurt ‘em and got us out of that inning.”

Lincoln took a 1-0 lead in the third. Taylor, who had reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and went to third when Gipson’s throw sailed into center field. Lamont Horne’s infield hit brought Taylor home.

The Hornets scored another two-out run in the sixth. Horace Tucker singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Glover’s base hit. A double by Taylor and a Horne single gave Lincoln its final run in the seventh, also after two were down.

Horne led the Hornets with three hits and two RBIs. Mitchell added two hits. For Morse, Bell had two singles.

In other nonleague games, second-ranked Mission Bay (13-2) beat Mount Carmel (5-5), 7-3, as Enzo Rodriguez pitched a four-hitter. University (9-5) took a pair of games from Saint Augustine (0-13-1), 10-3 and 16-0. Crawford (4-8) scored all of its runs in the fifth inning to upset ninth-ranked Mira Mesa (8-3), 6-3, and San Diego (4-9) beat Point Loma (7-2), 7-4, behind a complete game effort from Prentice Byrd.

In Palomar League play, Ron Howard’s two-out double in the bottom of the seventh inning gave Vista (2-1, 8-4) a 5-4 win over Orange Glen (1-1, 7-6-1). Torrey Pines (2-1, 5-7) blanked San Dieguito (0-3, 2-7), 5-0, and Keith Juster hit a single in the bottom of the ninth as Fallbrook (2-0, 10-5) edged Poway (1-2, 8-6), 7-6.

In the Avocado League, Oceanside (1-2, 1-10) got a three-run home run from Steve Gutierrez en route to its first victory of the season, an 8-6 decision over El Camino (2-1, 5-8). San Marcos (3-0, 10-3) clubbed Ramona (0-2, 3-5), 24-3, and Escondido (1-1, 5-8) beat Carlsbad (0-3, 3-8), 6-1.

In other nonleague games, second-ranked Mission Bay (13-2) beat Mount Carmel (5-5), 7-3, as Enzo Rodriguez pitched a four-hitter. University (9-5) took a pair of games from Saint Augustine (0-13-1), 10-3 and 16-0. Crawford (4-8) scored all of its runs in the fifth inning to upset ninth-ranked Mira Mesa (8-3), 6-3, and San Diego (4-9) beat Point Loma (7-2), 7-4, behind a complete game effort from Prentice Byrd.

In Palomar League play, Ron Howard’s two-out double in the bottom of the seventh inning gave Vista (2-1, 8-4) a 5-4 win over Orange Glen (1-1, 7-6-1). Torrey Pines (2-1, 5-7) blanked San Dieguito (0-3, 2-7), 5-0, and Keith Juster hit a single in the bottom of the ninth as Fallbrook (2-0, 10-5) edged Poway (1-2, 8-6), 7-6.

In the Avocado League, Oceanside (1-2, 1-10) got a three-run home run from Steve Gutierrez en route to its first victory of the season, an 8-6 decision over El Camino (2-1, 5-8). San Marcos (3-0, 10-3) clubbed Ramona (0-2, 3-5), 24-3, and Escondido (1-1, 5-8) beat Carlsbad (0-3, 3-8), 6-1.