Templeton edges out Morro Bay 2-0 to open CIF baseball playoffs
Morro Bay High’s baseball team entered its opening round playoff game against cross-county opponent Templeton feeling good about its postseason chances, fielding a veteran team of mostly seniors with multi-year varsity experience.
But the Pirates (16-13, 5-10 Mountain) ran into a buzzsaw in Eagles pitcher Nate Argain, a senior right-hander, who tossed seven shutout innings, giving up only five hits, in a 2-0 win in Morro Bay.
Elsewhere, Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles won in CIF-Central Section Division 2 and Nipomo came out on top in Division 4. Atascadero, San Luis Obispo and Mission Prep each fell short with Division 2 defeats.
Templeton (14-15, 5-7 Sunset) pulled off the upset as the No. 14 seed and will live to see another day of postseason action, facing No. 6 Garces Memorial, of Bakersfield, on the road on Tuesday.
No. 3 Morro Bay, a runner-up in Division 3 last year, was hoping to extend a three-game win streak to conclude the regular season and make another deep playoff run.
Pirates senior starter, Eli Brown, went toe to toe with Argain, matching scoreless frames through four innings.
Brown pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth without giving up any runs, before Templeton broke the deadlock in the top of the fifth with an RBI double to right-center by Colby Sims, who drove in Luke Olsen, who had singled to start the rally.
Templeton added another run in the sixth on a bases-loaded ground ball force out by Jack Beckwith that scored a second run.
After the complete-game shutout, and a game-ending double play, Argain tossed his glove in the air and pumped his fist.
“Nate’s our guy,” said Templeton Coach J.R. Reynolds. “He’s a four-year starter for us on the mound. And in a big game, we’re going to go with him. It was a great outing. He threw strikes, and our guys played great defense behind him, and that’s what we strive for. That’s Templeton baseball.”
Argain, who struck out four, relied on a strong fastball and a slurve to keep hitters off balance.
“I just kind of pitch backwards and get a lot of ground balls,” Argain said. “I haven’t been really a strikeout pitcher my whole life, but I let the defense work behind me, and I trust those guys.”
Leo Rivera and Nick Capaci each had two hits in the game for the Eagles.
On the other side of the field, Morro Bay Coach Jarred Zill said the post-game talk with his closely-knit group was “tough” because of the close relationships the team built and their hopes to keep their season going.
“Most of them were on varsity by the time they were sophomores,” Zill said. “I got to watch them really grow and develop. They went from being one of the worst teams in the area their sophomore year to being one of the best teams in the area by their senior year.”
Zill cited the good bonds and team chemistry among the players, coaches and parents, saying: “The camaraderie is really special, and I think a lot of coaches say that, but they don’t always mean it. This group will go down as my favorite team that I’ve ever coached.”
Morro Bay was led in hitting by Crotts, a senior, who tallied a .429 batting average, with five home runs, 40 runs scored and 25 RBI. Other senior standouts included Brown (3.21 ERA, .368 batting average), Colton White (.345 average, six home runs and 36 RBI) and Cruz Wilkinson (.326, 23 RBI and 10 doubles).
“These guys are just so high class,” Zill said. “They accepted me, and we had a lot of fun. The kids really know how to keep it loose and have fun, and then turn it on when it’s time to turn it on, and that’s something that we carried with us the whole last three years.”
Here were other Friday scores from SLO County.
Arroyo Grande 8, Kerman 7
Freshman Brock Paz went 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the win.
The Eagles move on to host Paso Robles on Tuesday.
Paso Robles 2, Sierra Pacific 1
Marcus Garcia went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the win and Nate Contreras struck out five, giving up only one earned run.
Paso Robles faces Arroyo Grande on the road Tuesday.
Nipomo 11, Chowchilla 10
Travis Barr went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and four RBIs.
The Titans face Santa Ynez on Tuesday.
Tulare Western 9, San Luis Obispo 2
Landon Drenckpohl went 3-for-4 in the contest for SLO.
Bakersfield Christian 6, Atascadero 5
Damon Mitchell went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and Jackson Litten was 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Greyhounds.
Fresno 7, Mission Prep 5
This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 10:55 PM.
%20Cropped.jpg)