Serra left fielder Paul Murray has been batting behind Jordan Paroubeck for two seasons now, so he knows the routine.
When Homestead issued an intentional walk to big league prospect Paroubeck to load the bases in the third inning of an eventual 11-1 Serra victory, Murray was not surprised.
Murray doubled sharply to left field to highlight a four-run Serra rally that helped the Padres to a Central Coast Section Division I quarterfinal victory at sunny Sacred Heart Prep. Serra will now meet San Benito at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at San Jose Municipal Stadium.
"I was a little bit nervous, but I've been in that situation before," Murray said. "I was trying to get a good pitch. He threw me three fastballs and he wasn't going to get one by me."
Not much got by the Western Kentucky University-bound Murray, who went 4-for-4 at the plate and drove in three runs.
"I put in the work (Friday), making sure I got on top of the ball and I felt good today," Murray said. "But it was mostly a team effort. (Orlando) Razo pitched great and (catcher Michael) Tinsley blocked a bunch of balls, keeping runners from going around the bases."
Serra pounded out 11 hits in the mercy-rule shortened game and sent at least nine batters to the plate in both the first inning when it scored three runs and the fourth when it added four more.
The Padres appear to be hitting their stride with two mercy-rule victories to open the playoffs.
"We're confident," Murray said. "We battled and battled all year and we struggled a little bit at the end, but we're getting hot at the right time, so we just gotta keep it up."
Razo, a third-year varsity starter, took a while to get used to the mound, but once he did he silenced the Pioneers, giving up three hits, one earned run and striking out two while walking one.
"I was trying to find my release point," Razo said "After we got a couple of runs I started relaxing out there and Tinsley was putting down the signs well."
Razo throws a fastball, curve and change-up and has added a slider to his deceptive repertoire. His brother Lorenzo Razo, a former Bellarmine College Prep pitcher, has helped him with the slider.
"The slider was my best off-speed pitch today," Razo said. "I got a couple of strikeouts off that. I just started throwing it a few weeks ago. It's worked for me."
Serra took a 3-0 lead in the first, getting a two-run single by Paroubeck and an RBI single be Neil Sterling.
Homestead managed a run in the second on Chris O'Connor's run-scoring single, but Serra seized the momentum back in the bottom of the inning when Tinsley hit a long home run over the fence in right field.
It was a tough way to end the season for Homestead (18-14), which planned to pitch Cole Lang to start the game, but held him back when Lang felt some discomfort in his arm. The right-hander wound up taking the mound in the second inning anyway.
"I felt like overall the season was really good," said Homestead shortstop Anthony Robbins. "Toward the end we just kept getting better and better. Obviously we had a little bit of a pitching (situation) today, so things didn't work out. It was bad timing."
Besides Paul Murray, Sterling and Sean Watkins both had two hits for Serra (26-6) and Tinsley, Mickey McDonald, Paroubeck and John Murray (Paul's cousin) had one apiece.
"Our guys are confident, but the road just continues to get tougher and tougher," Serra coach Craig Gianinno said. "but I'm just extremely excited for our guys to be able to go on next week. They're a confident group of guys with a lot of belief in each other."
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John Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@Prep2Prep.com and followed on Twitter @PrepCat
