TAUNTON— After an 11-day break between the regular season finale and Monday's Division 1 Round of 32 matchup against No. 38 Whittier Tech, there were some concerns No. 6 Taunton (19-4, 14-2 Hockomock League) might look a little rusty.
However, the back-to-back Division 1 champions quickly put those thoughts to bed as the Tigers, propelled by a strong start from senior pitcher Brady Morin (5 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts) and a combined 15 runs over the final two innings, cruised to a 19-0 win over the Wildcats.
"Hats off to Brady, he threw an awesome game today," Taunton coach Blair Bourque said. "We need the leaders to step up and he’s a leader on the team and he did exactly what we needed him to do. Offensively, we were getting guys on and making things happen. There were a couple of clutch two-out RBI hits, we’ll take those, but everybody put together some good at-bats."
Among those who took charge at the plate were senior center fielder Andrew Cali (2-for-4, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, 2 stolen bases) and senior right fielder Dwayne Burgo (2-for-4, 4 R, 2 RBI), while junior third baseman Caden Lindskog (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI), senior second baseman Xavier Spencer (2-for-3, R, RBI), senior catcher Chris Wallace (1-for-3, R, 3 RBI) and senior designated hitter/pitcher Johnny Escobalez (1-for-3, 2 RBI) all contributed to the 15-hit offensive onslaught.
For Cali, who's played a key part in the past two title wins, he knows what this moment means and what needs to be done.
"This is one of those times where you’ve got to step up and lead your team," Cali, who hit a two-RBI triple in the sixth, said. "I know we can do it. We’re all supporting each other and we’re here to win. We’re coming for the title again. We’ll see what we can do in the future, but we’ve just got to hit, play some defense and score some runs."
As for Morin, he had full confidence in his teammates both in the field and at the plate.
"I knew I just had to throw strikes and my team would have my back," Morin said.
Power play: The 2023-24 Taunton Daily Gazette Hockey All-Scholastics
The Tigers started off slowly, but consistently, plating a run in both the first and second inning before tacking on a pair of runs in the fourth to go up 4-0. Then, in the fifth, Taunton batted around the order scoring five before doubling it an inning later, scoring 10 runs with 14 plate appearances.
At one point, Taunton took advantage of the gap to give some at-bats to its bench, pinch hitting for seven batters in a row as juniors Travis Cashman and Aidan Faria and sophom*ores Dylan Keenan and Corbin Melo all crossed the plate.
"It’s obviously good to get some guys in and get some experience in the postseason (since) those guys are going to be the guys we’re going to rely on next year," Bourque said.
Having that level of roster depth is something Bourque feels helps add to the competitiveness of the team, as well as provide options when needed, a sentiment his players agreed with.
"Knowing we have a good core group of guys even on the bench is awesome, because if one guy isn’t having a good game, then someone else can pick him right back up," Cali said.
With the win, the Tigers move on to the the Round of 16 Wednesday at 4 p.m., where they'll play host to non-league rivals No. 11 Durfee (17-4, 7-1 Southeast Conference) in the third meeting between the two this spring. The Hilltoppers took the matchup in Fall River 3-2 before Taunton struck back at home with a 2-1 win to wrap up the regular season, leaving the Tigers aware that they need to be on their A-game.
"They’re a scrappy group," Bourque said. "They’re well-coached and play the game the right way, so we’re going to have to be on our game and make sure each at-bat is productive. We’ve got to rely on our pitching and our defense, but we know that every team we face from here on out is going to be tougher and tougher. We know what Durfee’s capable of and it’s going to be a challenge."
As for the players, they know they'll need to match their strong pitching and fielding with another solid showing at the plate.
"We‘ve just got to keep swinging the bats," Lindskog said. "I feel like when we swing, we can beat anyone."
Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton baseball kicks off title defense with big day at the plate
