Red-hot Joe Burton leads Morro Bay baseball to tournament win

Mighty Joe.

If Morro Bay slugger Joe Burton keeps hitting like this, it could be his new nickname.

The 6-foot-2 junior hit a three-run home run over the 380-foot left-field wall Thursday afternoon at Sinsheimer Stadium in the first inning that ended up being the difference in a 10-7 win for Morro Bay over Golden Valley. It was his second home run for the righty in as many games.

“Really, it’s all due to my coaching. Fast hips, fast hands and you can blow through the ball. Really, that’s all it is.” Burton said, adding he was a little surprised to see the ball clear the fence. “I’m starting to get a good vibe going on.”

Burton went 3 for 3 on the day with three RBI and a stolen base. His home run was part of a five-run top of the first inning, but Golden Valley slowly inched its way back into the game.

Morro Bay held its lead until the sixth inning when Golden Valley scored four runs to even the game at 7-7.

A strange play broke the tie in the top of the seventh. Connor Masters laid down a sacrifice bunt, and as he sprinted up the line, he slammed into the Golden Valley second baseman who was covering first. The collision sent the second baseman to the ground with the ball in his glove, but the umpire never called for time. While the player stood by the base and held his ribs, Burton jogged home from third for the go-ahead run.

“We just took the opportunity to go,” Morro Bay coach Nick Burger said. “What are you going to do?”

Morro Bay added a few insurance runs in its final turn at the plate. One RBI was knocked in by former Morro Bay quarterback Isaac Manuputy, who this season is playing baseball for the first time ever. Manuputy went 2 for 3 in the game with two RBI, the first of his life. His first-ever hit in a game came the day before.

“He works his butt off, and when stuff like that happens, its awesome to see,” Burton said. “We were stoked. We were all jumping around in the dugout.”

Burger admits at first he was skeptical if Manuputy could play.

“No it’s like, ‘You’re starting’ because he’s buying in,” Burger said.

The win ended Morro Bay’s four-game losing streak in what has so far been an up-and-down season for the Pirates (5-8, 3-5 Los Padres).

“We feel like we have been putting in enough work that it’s up to the baseball gods now,” Burton said.

Morro Bay will find out when and where it will play on Friday after the conclusion of the rest of Thursday’s tournament games.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 6:58 PM with the headline "Red-hot Joe Burton leads Morro Bay baseball to tournament win."