Ernst Starts San Clemente on Road to Title

CARLSBAD — San Clemente senior Mike Ernst had waited his entire high school baseball career for a start. Not wanting to blow his big chance, Ernst figured he needed all the inspiration he could get before taking the mound.

So before the game, Ernst sat down in front of the team and quoted from “Life’s Little Instruction Book” by H. Jackson Brown.

He read: “Winners go into different situations acting as though they won’t fail. And if you’re going to go after Moby Dick, don’t forget the tartar sauce.”

Ernst’s tartar sauce Wednesday was a sneaky fastball and a slow-breaking curve that shut down Carlsbad’s big bats for five innings and gave San Clemente a 6-1 victory in the championship game of the Carlsbad Easter Classic.

Ernst (1-0) was expected to pitch only two or three innings, but he wound up throwing five shutout innings before tiring in the sixth and giving up one run. Ernst struck out one and walked three, but he gave up only four hits in keeping Carlsbad’s hitters off balance for much of the day.

“He’s been waiting for this for so long,” San Clemente Coach Paul Prinz said. “He deserved a start. I had all the confidence in him.”

But that confidence didn’t stop Prinz from warming up Steve Sutherland, who picked up his third save with two shutout innings, in the second inning.

Junior Mike Frith sparked San Clemente’s offense. He hit a two-run double to the right-center field gap in the first inning.

He also reached base on an intentional walk, a hit by pitch and a single to finish the four-game tournament seven for 11 with two home runs and 10 runs batted in. The Tritons improved to 11-4.