Buck Worth a 2-A Title to Carlsbad : Taylor Helps Spark 5-Run Fifth in 7-4 Victory Over Grossmont

Before Wednesday’s San Diego Section 2-A baseball championship, Carlsbad High Coach Joe Pimentel said catcher Cord “Buck” Taylor was the team’s “unsung hero.”

Pimentel can drop the “unsung.”

It was Taylor, one the smallest Lancers at 5-feet-10, 150 pounds, who came through with the most prominent hit to lead Carlsbad to its first 2-A title with a 7-4 victory over Grossmont at the University of San Diego’s Cunningham Stadium.

In the fifth inning with the bases loaded and the score 3-3, Taylor hit a two-run double to right center, the key to a five-run inning that gave Carlsbad (23-9) the title.

“(Pitchers) Jeff (Myers) and Scotty (Karl) had been getting all the notoriety and publicity,” Pimentel said, “and Buck’s been a little overlooked. But when we got things going, Buck comes up with the big base hit.”

Taylor, a senior catcher and captain, also had the big hit--a three-run first-inning homer--in Saturday’s 9-0 semifinal victory over Crawford. Taylor said it was only the second home run of his life, the other coming earlier this the year.

“I’m not a power hitter, I’m usually a singles hitter,” Taylor said.

Tell that to Crawford. Tell that to Grossmont (19-9-1), which was also appearing in its first 2-A final with first-year Coach Jeff Meredith.

“He’s a good catcher, we knew that coming in,” Meredith said. “We also knew he was a good hitter.”

Grossmont has good hitters, too. The Foothillers collected 10 hits off Myers but could not put together for a big inning.

Grossmont had two hits in the first, second, third and fifth innings. Eight of the nine Grossmont batters had at least one hit--John Tatum and Danny Lennon had two each.

In three playoff games, Tatum was 10 for 11 with two triples and two doubles. Entering the game, he had nine consecutive hits, but he struck out his first time up.

“We hit the ball well, but we couldn’t put the hits together,” Meredith said. “When (Myers) needed to get tough, he did. I’ll give him the credit. He did a real fine job. Kent Smith struck out two times all year, and (Myers) struck him out twice today.”

Smith’s second strikeout was Myers’ eighth (fourth in the final two innings) and the final out of the game.

“I just tried to throw as hard as I could,” said Myers, a senior who is headed for Pepperdine. “I went out there with the attitude that I’m not going to let up unless I drop dead. Ever since I’ve been at Carlsbad, this is what I’ve wanted.”

It took Myers (12-3) 107 pitches, 69 strikes, but he did it.

“He wasn’t struggling,” Taylor said. “He was making good pitches. They were just hitting them. They were probably the best hitting team we played.”

In the bottom of the first, Grossmont loaded the bases with no outs. Greg Layson and Lenny Van Every singled, and Todd Cady was aboard on Carlsbad’s only error. Taylor then caught Cady wandering too far off first, but Layson scored while Cady was in a rundown. Myers then struck out Smith and Tatum.

Carlsbad took a 2-1 lead in the third. Leadoff hitter Bryan Black (two for three, two runs and an RBI) drove home Ron Bynes (two for three) with a triple that one-hopped against the center-field fence. Black scored on a grounder by Myers.

Grossmont regained the lead, 3-2, in the bottom of the third. Van Every, who had walked, scored on Tatum’s single to right, and Smith, who had singled, scored on a wild pitch.

Then came the fifth and Carlsbad’s five runs. Black led off with a bunt single. Larry Griffith grounded to second, but Lennon made a throwing error trying to get Black at second. Myers was intentionally walked, and pinch-hitter Chris Greene walked to force home Black and tie the score, 3-3.

Taylor hit the first pitch from starter Mark Gapski (8-3) into the gap in right center. That was all for Gapski, who had thrown a three-hitter in Saturday’s 10-0 semifinal victory over Rancho Buena Vista and 1 1/3 innings in the 19-7 victory over St. Augustine the previous Thursday.

Lennon came on in relief and was greeted with a two-run single by Brian Vasey, giving the Lancers a 7-3 lead.

Grossmont scored one more in its half of the fifth. Cady tripled to right center and scored on a sacrifice fly by Smith.

Myers retired the final six batters.