HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP : Poway’s Tittrington, Van Dommelen Shut Down Mission Bay

Poway’s baseball team didn’t appear to have much left after back-to-back 20-5 seasons, what with only two returning starters.

Coach Rudy Casciato is using a sophomore in right field and a transfer from Virginia--David Kelch--won the starting job at shortstop.

So it is understandable why Casciato was so upbeat after his Titans beat Mission Bay, 2-1, Saturday in the third round of the Hilltop-Moose Tournament. Poway improved to 3-0.

“I’m very pleased with the defense and pitching, and we’ve been making good contact,” said Casciato, who didn’t know what to expect after the Titans, ranked No. 1 during parts of the 1991 season, were eliminated early in the section 3-A playoffs.

“We’ve been playing at a good level of intensity,” he said. “They’re real cohesive for a group this young.”

Senior left-hander Scott Tittrington (1-0) allowed one run for the victory; the Buccaneers stranded eight runners in five innings against him. Junior Kevin Van Dommelen worked the final two innings for the save, getting Chase Lowary to look at a called third strike for the final out. Junior Jeff Dufek (0-1) took the loss.

Poway scored first in the top of the first when leadoff batter Mike Sharp doubled and later scored on a throwing error by the third baseman. Mission Bay (1-2) tied it, 1-1, in the bottom of the first when Ivan Espinoza singled home Jesus Munoz.

But Tittrington struck out John Pellegrin and got Lowary to ground to second after Mission Bay had laoded the bases with one out. Poway scored the game-winner in the sixth when Sharp, who had singled and stole second, scored from third on Kelch’s infield single to the hole at shortstop.

Despite the loss, Mission Bay Coach Dennis Pugh was also pleased.

“We’re there,” said Pugh, whose Buccaneers lost in the section 2-A final in a 22-9 season last year. “I feel a lot better about the team than I did at this time last year.”