It is not often a team scores eight runs in their last at bat and is still ten-run-ruled, but Monday night Corporal Miller did just that. Their eight-run frame was not enough to make up the 20-2 deficit the Tyrone Legion bats had built up, giving the (3-0) Legion another win.
The Tyrone offense didn’t wait long to begin the scoring. In the first inning, Barry Gummo led off with a walk and stole second and third. Nick Friling then received a free pass and stole second as well. With runners on second and third, Andy Garofoli drove a double off the wall in left center to plate the first two runs of the game. With one out, Nick Cushion singled to move Garofoli to third, and Brandon Maceno drove him in with an RBI ground out. With Cushion on second, Jeremy Myers was hit by a pitch. Cushion and Myers pulled off a double steal, and Cushion scored after an error by Corporal Miller’s third baseman that allowed Jason Wilson to reach base. Wilson was caught stealing on the next pitch, but got into a run down that allowed Myers to swipe home before Wilson was tug out.
In the second inning Tyrone added eight more runs by sending twelve men to the plate. Matt Germino led off with a walk, Friling singled with one out, and Garofoli walked to load the bases. Derrick Soellner drew a bases loaded RBI walk, and Cushion reached base when Corporal Miller shortstop Josh Destefand’s throw was off-line.
With the bases still juiced, Maceno hit a two run single through the drawn-in infield, and Myers plated Cushion with a single. Then with two outs, Germino, batting for the second time in the inning, crushed a double to right scoring two, and scored on Gummo’s RBI single that followed to make the score 13-0 after the top of the second.
Starting pitcher Nick Friling was as dominate on the mound as Tyrone’s bats were at the plate. He pitched two innings and struck out six men. “Nick pitched well. We wanted to get him sharp for later in the week, because he hadn’t pitched in ten days,” coach John Harlow said of the performance.
Tyrone’s bats were silent in the third and fourth innings, but relief pitcher Jason Wilson kept Tyrone in front pitching two solid innings, and allowing only two unearned runs.
In the top of the fifth, Tyrone exploded for seven more runs highlighted by another two run single by Maceno who scored when Corporal Miller catcher Dustin Slowlk threw the ball into centerfield trying to catch him moving up a base on the throw home. Chris Tremmel added a RBI single to move the score to 20-2 after four and a half innings.
Despite being down eighteen runs Corporal Miller wouldn’t go down without a fight. Using eight walks from two Tyrone relievers combined with three hits, Corporal Miller was able to plate eight runs to cut Tyrone’s lead to 20-10. With the bases loaded and two down, Barry Gummo was able to finally end the game with a strike out.
Legion Notes: Keeping with their aggressive style, Tyrone stole twelve bases on thirteen attempts Monday…. Injured first baseman Clint Wilson was in attendance for the first time this year giving his teammates moral support. Wilson only recently returned home after spending two weeks in the hospital with a blood clot that ended his season before it began…. Brandon Maceno had five RBIs in the game…. Matt Germino and Nick Cushion both had three hits a piece…. Tyrone once again played shorthanded, missing Ben Gummo, Tyler Mertiff, and Tyler Rickards…. Andy Garofoli came within inches of hitting the Legion’s first home run of the season when his first inning double hit off the center of the wall just below the 383 ft. marker…. Before the final inning, Tyrone pitchers had not walked a batter in the game…. Harlow took a break from his third base coaching duties in the second inning to get a drink of water because he was, “waving his arm too much,” sending eight base runners home in the inning.
Tyrone 20 Corporal Miller 10
TYRONE LEGION- Gummo, cf-p, 3-2-1; Friling, p-lf, 3-2-2; Garofoli, c, 4-3-1; Soellner, 1b, 2-1-1; Tremmel, rf, 1-1-1; Cushion, 2b-3b-p, 5-3-3; Maceno, ss, 5-2-2; Myers, 3b, 1-2-1; Clark, 1b, 0-1-0; Wilson, lf-p-3b, 4-0-0; Germino, rf-2b, 3-3-3. TOTAL: 31-20-15.
CORPORAL MILLER- Vogel, cf, 3-1-0; George, p-1b, 3-1-1; Sisto, 1b-p-3b, 3-1-2; Destefand, ss, 3-1-1; Fredrick, 3b-p, 3-2-0; Garhart, rf, 2-2-0; Boone, lf, 2-0-1; Johnson, ph, 1-0-0; McIntyre, 2b, 2-1-0; Slowlk, c, 2-1-0. TOTAL: 24-10-5.
Tyrone Legion 580 07 20-15-4
Corporal Miller 000 28 10-5-4
2B: Garofoli 1, Germino 1.
RBI: Maceno 5, Garofoli 3, Germino 2, Gummo 1, Friling 1, Soellner 1, Tremmel 1, Cushion 1, Myers 1, Vogel 1, George 1, Sisto 1, Destefand 1, Fredrick 1, Boone 1, Johnson 1.
SO: Friling 6, Wilson 2, Cushion 1, Gummo 1, George 2, Sisto 1.
BB: Cushion 5, Gummo 3, George 5, Sisto 4, Fredrick 1.
WP: Wilson LP: George.
