First Start Memorable for Morales : Baseball: Right-hander silences Sylmar on a three-hitter, 1-0, and Poly clinches Valley Pac-8 Conference title.

Throughout his years at Poly High, Jose Morales held fast to the dream of pitching in a big game.

But the senior right-hander, whom coaches said had great potential, was a stranger to the spotlight . . . until Tuesday when Poly defeated Valley Pac-8 Conference rival Sylmar, 1-0.

Morales pitched a three-hitter in what he called the biggest start of his life as Poly completed a three-game sweep of the Spartans and clinched the conference championship.

“Last year, they were very good,” Morales said of defending champion Sylmar, which won 19 games in a row in 1994. “I always wanted to pitch against them.”

Morales didn’t play for Poly last season. Instead he concentrated on his grades, watched Poly’s home games and dreamed of leading the Parrots to a big victory.

And after he had out-dueled Sylmar’s Rafael Velazco, who threw a two-hitter and forced in the game’s only run by hitting a batter with the bases loaded in the sixth, Morales was in a daze. It was as if he was in a dream world.

His teammates stormed the mound and drenched Coach Chuck Schwal with ice water after Mike Cervantes grounded into a force play to end the game. Students in the stands were waving brooms at Sylmar players.

But Morales was headed for the dugout, preparing himself for another inning.

“I didn’t even know it was the last inning,” he said. “I was just focused on throwing my strikes.

“Everybody was screaming and I was wondering what was going on.”

Even more dazed was Sylmar, which only twice had runners in scoring position against a pitcher it had never faced.

With a two-game lead over Sylmar (17-6, 11-4) going into Tuesday’s game, Poly (18-5, 14-1) was not in a must-win situation. But Bob Mesa, Poly’s pitching coach, made a surprise decision to go with Morales instead of Hugo De La Torre (9-2) and Steve Guerrero (3-1).

“I told him he has the talent, but today it’s got to come from the heart,” Mesa said.

Morales entered with an earned-run average of 5.43, having allowed 22 earned runs in 28 1/3 innings as a relief pitcher. He had allowed 26 hits and walked 20, yet he was unbeaten.

Mesa was swayed by that and the fact that Morales (5-0) had the team’s best fastball, a good curve, 32 strikeouts and the enduring desire to do something big.

“I told Coach Mesa, ‘If you put me to start, I’ll do better,’ ” Morales said. “I felt good. I had to do the job.

“I knew one day I would do something like this for the team.”

Morales struck out three, walked three and got the run he needed in the sixth, which Ray Montenegro led off the sixth with a double. Velazco (7-2) intentionally walked Guerrero and then unintentionally walked Jaime Cerna to load the bases. Velazco hit Abel Salazar in the shoulder with the first pitch to force home Montenegro.