QUINCY, Mass. - It wasn't the flashiest performance, but it was beyond effective. Taunton sophomore Luke Figueira tossed six shutout innings in his first playoff start and the Tigers rode two early runs to a 2-0 upset of fifth-seeded Quincy.
Figueira, who went 5-3 with a 2.28 ERA in the regular season, put in a blue collar performance, striking out just two batters but allowing just four hits over five innings of work with no runners going further than second base.
"I thought he had a little bit of nervous energy early, but when push came to shove, especially after they got first and second in the first inning, he really settled in," Taunton head coach Jeff Sylvia said. "His pitch count got up there a little bit, they were taking pitches late in the game so thats kind of why we made the move. He did everything we needed to him to do. He pitched six solid innings, I think just four hits. He did a hell of a job and he gave us a chance to win."
Taunton's offense started out hot against Quincy starter Greg Paulo as right fielder Casey Grady led off the game with a single into left field. He stole second with Jared Jorge at the plate but things quickly turned around. Jorge's grounder to short led to Grady being tagged out at third and then Jorge was caught stealing second base.
Quincy had a similar start when John Marsinelli had a one-out single and then stole second. After Figueira walked Matt Davis to put two on with one out, he struck out Bobby Salvucci and then induced a pop up from Robbie Munroe.
The offense continued in the second inning for Taunton as catcher Zach Bowden led off with a walk and advanced to second on a single from Dylan Poillucci. Unlucky hit placement hurt Taunton again as Figueira grounded to the left side of the infield and Bowden was thrown out at third base, but Poillucci advanced to second. Poillucci and Figueira moved up a base on a wild pitch and Zach MacLean took first after being hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded, first baseman Mike Bunker singled into left field plating Poillucci but as Figueira tried to score from second, he was gunned down at home by Quincy left fielder Padraig Geaney, but Taunton took a 1-0 lead. MacLean advanced to third and Bunker to second on the throw to home.
It didn't take long for Taunton to add to their lead as center fielder and number nine hitter DJ Kullas singled through the right side to score MacLean to make it 2-0.
That would be all of the offense Taunton would get in the game, going hitless the rest of the game against Paulo with just two base runners reaching, one in the third and one in the sixth - both on errors.
But that's the only offense Figueira would need on the mound. He sat down Quincy in order in the third inning and faced just four batters in the fourth, fifth and sixth inning.
"I've been impressed with him all year," Sylvia said of Figueira. "If we're going to go down, I want him on the mound. I was nervous for him today knowing anything can happen as a sophomore but he did a great job. He made the pitches he needed to and gave us six solid innings, I'm proud of him."
With Figueira striking out just two - one being a dropped third strike - the Tigers were forced to field the ball and they did so strongly. All three outfielders - Sam Moor, Kullas and Grady - kept the play in front of them and made the necessary catches and infielders Matt Vanzandt, Jorge, MacLean and Bunker, along with Bowden behind the plate all made the plays they needed to with Figueira on the mound.
"We preach to these guys defense and pitching," Sylvia said. "I thought we got both and it's not easy especially when it's a one game elimination and you have to play as solid as possible. I thought we did a good job defensively to make the plays."
The game didn't end without some drama though as Quincy's offense came alive in the seventh inning. Jorge came in to pitch in relief of Figueira for the seventh inning, but with their backs against the wall, Quincy pulled out some offense.
Cody Desmond led off the bottom of the seventh with a slow grounder to the right side and the infield grass slowed it down even more, allowing Desmond to reach on an infield single. Jorge induced two straight fly outs to make it one on, two outs. But Marsinelli picked up his second hit of the game, singling into shallow left field to push Desmond to second. Davis then hit a slow roller in the infield but Vanzandt couldn't get his glove on it and Quincy loaded the bases.
That brought up Quincy's four-hitter, Salvucci, with the tying run at second and the winning run in Davis at first. But Jorge ended the drama, getting Salvucci to swing on a 2-2 count for the strikeout and the win.
After starting the season 0-6, Taunton advances to the D1 South Quarterfinals and will host #13 New Bedford on Monday. The Tigers played the Whalers twice in the regular season, losing 10-2 in Taunton's season opera on April 4th and then Taunton besting New Bedford, 6-2 just over a week ago.
"We're fortunate enough to host New Bedford - they just beat one of the best teams in the state - so it's not going to be easy," said Sylvia, who won a state championship in high school playing at New Bedford. "We're very familiar with them, they're very familiar with us, so we know each other well."
The game will be played at Taunton High starting at 4:00.
Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.