Prep Baseball: Titans amass 20 hits in 15-0 rout of Westview
If pitchers in the Palomar League were not paying much attention to the Poway High baseball team before, they better be now.
Kevin Bristow went 5-for-5, Tyler Nevin was a triple away from the cycle and three pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout, as the Titans crushed host Westview 15-0 Saturday in a Palomar League game.
“That game was a blast,” said Bristow, who had three doubles, two singles and four RBIs. “It was long overdue for us.”
The Titans boast one of the most potent lineups in the county and they showed just how dangerous they can be when the bats get going collectively. Five different players produced a multi-hit game, as Poway banged out 20 hits in all.
Leadoff hitter Blake Wagenseller went 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI, Tyler Nevin went 4-for-5 with a double and a two-run homer well over the left-field wall and Brett Singer had two hits and two RBIs for the Titans.
Poway is chasing its first Palomar League title since 2010 and right now is in the driver’s seat. The Titans are tied with Torrey Pines atop the standings and added a little distance between themselves and Westview by taking the first two games of the series off the Wolverines.
“Right now we are not feeling any pressure,” Bristow said about being at the top of the standings. “We are just going out there and playing our game and having fun.”
All the hitting Poway did overshadowed the dominating start by right-hander Alex Blaszyk. The sophomore went four innings and allowed just an infield single before giving way to the bullpen with a 9-0 lead.
Filip Banjac threw a hitless fifth inning and Joe Murray, who even got in on the hitting action with a double down the right-field line in the seventh, tossed two scoreless innings of two-hit ball.
Pitching has been a trouble area for Poway the past few years, but this season a young staff has really stepped up.
“Our pitchers are always throwing strikes and now the bats are coming around,” Bristow said. “When we take batting practice we are always hitting the ball hard and now it is showing up in the games.”
The Titans didn’t waste anytime started the hit parade. Wagenseller opened the game with a leadoff double and he would later score on a double by Bristow. Poway blew the game open with a five-run second.
Westview could have gotten out of the inning unscathed, but a dropped fly ball in centerfield with two outs opened the floodgates. After the error, Wagenseller singled, Nevin singled, Singer ripped a two-run single and Bristow smashed a two-run double.
The Titans added to the lead with three runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Nevin’s two-run homer came in the sixth. It was his third home run of the year.