El Dorado, Luke Steal 2-0 Victory From Millikan

It may have looked a wee bit unorthodox, sending your 6-foot-5, .400 hitter up to the plate to lay down a bunt to lead off the top of the fifth inning in the most important game of the season.

But that was nothing compared to the sight of that power hitter, El Dorado High School senior Matt Luke, charging toward home plate three batters later. Luke was stealing home, and only a few in Dodger Stadium seemed to notice.

Luke managed to avoid teammate Crosby Spencer, who was standing in the batter’s box awaiting the pitch. He ducked under the pitch--Millikan pitcher Todd Taylor never saw Luke running. And he somehow avoided catcher David Hanson’s tag.

Luke’s run broke open a scoreless Southern Section 5-A championship game and got El Dorado started in a 2-0 victory over Millikan Saturday night in Dodger Stadium.

It was typical of the way El Dorado played the game. The Golden Hawks (23-8) made the most of what little they could scratch out against Millikan (21-9).

El Dorado got just three hits, the same number as Millikan, had four batters reach second base and had six of its batters strike out.

Millikan fared about the same. Only two batters reached second. Both eventually went to third, but were stranded.

Entering the bottom of the fifth, the Golden Hawks had one hit, a leadoff single by Greg Fife in the third. The teams were tied, 0-0, and neither looked as if it would break through soon.

But Luke led off with a bunt single up the third-base line. Scott Thielman, Millikan’s third baseman, got a late start on the ball but made a strong throw.

“When I got to third, Coach (Steve) Gullotti said I did the wrong thing,” Luke said.

He advanced to third on a bunt by Travis Dowdell and a ground out by Fife.

Once there, Luke and Gullotti, who was coaching third, had a short, quiet, conversation.

“We were watching the tapes of the left-hander (Taylor) and noticed he was real slow to the plate,” Gullotti said. “We decided if he wasn’t paying attention to try to steal home. We figured what the hell, go for it.”

Luke said Gullotti told him if he could get halfway home before Taylor noticed, to go ahead and steal home. Taylor never caught on and off Luke went.

“If we didn’t steal home, we might still be playing,” Gullotti said. “We couldn’t hit that guy.”

Which was the primary reason Luke went up bunting.

“I told myself, ‘There’s no runs in the game so far, I gotta do something,’ ” Luke said.

Millikan almost came up with a run in the top of the sixth. Shawn Ferguson led off with an infield single and went to second on Aaron Seja’s sacrifice.

Janicki, who had been masterful until then, looked to be in trouble. But Gullotti went to the mound and calmed the pitcher down.

Taylor, the next batter, grounded into a double play and Powell grounded out to end the inning, preserving El Dorado’s 1-0 lead.

“We turned that double play in the sixth with no one out--that was a turning point. If they go second and third with no one out . . . “ Gullotti’s voice trailed off.

El Dorado survived, though, and added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth.

Wayne Hefft doubled just inside the third base bag, moving Dave Swearingen, who had been hit by a pitch, to third with no outs. Dave Moore’s sacrifice fly scored Swearingen for a 2-0 lead.

That proved to be ample for the Golden Hawks as Janicki got the Rams in order to end the game. Janicki had four strikeouts and zero walks to finish the season with an 8-1 record.

Taylor, who pitched a two-hit shutout in a 2-0 semifinal victory over Hacienda Heights Wilson Tuesday, finished 6-3.