Ty Moore throws four-hitter to lift Mater Dei over Orange Lutheran

Gamer. Focused. Clutch. Those are the words that best describe Ty Moore of Santa Ana Mater Dei, a UCLA baseball signee who thrives in pressure-filled situations.

As a sophomore, he was part of Mater Dei’s perfect game in the 2010 Southern Section Division 1 championship game against Dana Hills, retiring the final six batters in a 2-0 victory.

On Wednesday night, in a game matching the No. 1-ranked Monarchs against No. 2 Orange Lutheran under dark clouds and an occasional drizzle, Moore scored the game’s only run on a Jeremy Martinez single in the sixth inning and finished with a four-hitter in a 1-0 victory at Hart Park.

Mater Dei (17-4, 9-1) pulled into a first-place tie with Orange Lutheran (16-4, 9-1) in the Trinity League going into Friday’s rematch at Mater Dei.

Moore, last season’s Trinity League most valuable player, is going to UCLA solely to hit as an outfielder. But he’s a standout high school pitcher, too, improving to 8-1 with an earned-run average under 0.40.

“I’ve been a closer my whole life,” he said. “I love that role. Starting is no different. I treat it like a closer mentality. Every inning is crunch time, whether it be the first or seventh.”

Said Mater Dei Coach Burt Call: “Ty was incredible. It was one of the most gutsiest performances I’ve seen in a long time. He really left his heart on the field.”

Moore struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

Moore reached second base in the sixth inning when pitcher Art Vidrio threw away a ball at first base. He moved to third base on an errant pickoff attempt and scored on Martinez’s single to left field.

[email protected]