Orange Lutheran baseball gets past Sierra Canyon in CIF-SS playoffs with shutout

Sophomore Gary Morse tosses a one-hitter and Orange Lutheran comes through with a rally in the sixth to win in the CIF-SS Division 1 first round.

ORANGE — Sophomore pitcher Gary Morse of Orange Lutheran and Sierra Canyon freshman starter Sean Parrow were locked in a pitchers’ duel through the first five innings of their teams’ CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game Thursday at Hart Park.

The Lancers, the division’s No. 3 seed, finally broke the scoreless tie with a barrage of runs in the sixth and went on to a 6-0 victory over the Trailblazers in the first-round contest.

Morse went the distance, allowed one hit with two strikeouts and two walks over seven innings.

A reversed call by the umpiring crew in the bottom of the sixth changed the complexion of the game and opened the door for the Lancers’ big inning.

Orange Lutheran (23-6) advances to the second round Tuesday and will play the winner of Friday’s first-round game between Vista Murrieta and Millikan. The Lancers will be on the road for that game regardless of the winner.

Parrow pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed three earned runs on four hits, with two strikeouts, four walks and one hit batter.

Josiah Hartshorn led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a single for the Lancers.

Nate Savoie then came up and hit a grounder to the third baseman, who threw the ball to the second baseman for an apparent force out of Hartshorn.

After the umpire called Hartshorn out at second, Lancers coach Erica Borba argued that the throw pulled the second baseman off the bag. The umpires conferred and reversed the call.

So instead of having a runner on first with one out, the Lancers had runners on first and second with no outs.

“I thought the throw from the third baseman pulled the second baseman off the bag,” Borba said. “It’s a tough angle for the second base umpire because he’s inside and the second baseman is stepping right at him. So, I just asked him. I said, ‘I know you probably couldn’t see it, but I think he was off the bag. Can you ask for help to see if somebody had a better angle?’ And luck of the Lord, we got the call. I think it was the right call … And then the train just started rolling.”

The runners took second and third on a passed ball and then after a line out to short, the Trailblazers intentionally walked Ben Reiland to load the bases.

Sierra Canyon got the second out on a force out at the plate.

Pinch hitter Hamilton Friedberg was then hit by a pitch to force in the game’s first run.

Pinch hitter Finnegan Stewart walked, forcing in the Lancers’ second run.

Leadoff hitter Derek Curiel then singled home two runs and Brady Murrietta drove in two more runs with a triple to break the game open.

Parrow left the game after the hit batter.

“He was able to throw a slider for a strike,” Murrietta said of Parrow. “He could put the fastball where he wanted. He had a good conviction on the mound for a young guy … kind of pitched with his hair on fire. But it was good. It was a good challenge for us.”