Anyone who’s ever seen the movie Tin Cup knows it’s about a golfer played by Kevin Costner named Roy McAvoy who qualifies as an underdog for the U.S. Open, plays his way into the top grouping by the final day, and then flames out on the final hole.
In the movie’s most famous scene, Costner hits into the water rather than lay it up on 18, and then, instead of than taking a drop, he hits again from the same spot, and again finds the water. This continues until he’s down to the last ball in his bag.
There were similarities to that scene in Tyrone’s final inning against Mount Union yesterday at the Harry K. Sickler Athletic Complex. But unlike the movie’s climactic ending, when Costner finishes the hole with a 12 after sinking a shot from the same spot and exits the course to a standing ovation, there was no heroic finish for the Golden Eagles.
The MAC Division 3 leading Trojans (9-4) batted around two times in their last at-bat and scored 14 runs to break a 2-2 tie and hand Tyrone a demoralizing 16-2 defeat. It was the Eagles’ worst loss of the season and it dropped them to 5-7.
“We played with them for six innings and it got away from us in the seventh,” said Tyrone manager Tom Coleman. “It felt like it snowballed.”
That’s putting it mildly, but for as brutal as things got for Tyrone, the Eagles were competing as well as they had all season until the seventh. A lot of it had to do with starter Tyler Golden, who for six innings hoisted his teammates on his back on the mound and at the plate.
Golden pitched into the seventh inning, scattering nine hits while striking out six. He worked his way out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth and stranded four runners in scoring position, but things fell apart quickly in the seventh, even though Golden’s stuff was still as good as it was early on.
The inning began with a seeing-eye single past second by John Martinez. Next, Brent Park attempted a sacrifice bunt, but catcher Brock Anders threw the ball over Johnny Shaffer’s head at first, putting runners on second and third. Golden walked the next two batters, putting the Trojans up 3-2.
Ian Kolb followed with a bloop single into shallow right that dropped just between second baseman Doug Rudy and right fielder Mike Romano, plating Park and making it 4-2.
Brandon Clemens then sent a sharp liner back to the mound and off Golden’s ankle. The ball ricocheted high off Golden, allowing Nick Sentman to score from third, and Golden collapsed on the infield grass. He was forced to switch to first base and Romano came in to pitch. He faced only two batters, walking in one run while surrendering a 2-RBI single to Malecchi Varner to make it 8-2.
Randy Hoover relieved Romano and allowed six runs, five of which came before the Eagles could record the second out of the inning. Only two were earned, as Tyrone imploded defensively, committing four errors with Hoover on the hill.
“Goldy threw well enough to win,” said Coleman. “I’m sorry he didn’t come away with that decision. He spotted the ball well.”
Despite the seventh inning crumble, Tyrone had opportunities early on to blow the game open in similar fashion. The Eagles left the bases loaded in the second and fourth inning, and both times Mount Union starter Sean Dixon was as crafty as Golden in getting out of the pinch. Tyrone had bases loaded with one out in the second and bases loaded with no outs in the fourth, and on each occasion, he struck out Brock Anders and Justin Schopp to end the threat.
But no missed opportunity was more costly than the one in the fifth inning against Martinez, on in relief of Dixon, when Tyrone scored twice to tie the game at 2-2. Shaffer singled in Rudy and Golden doubled in Donnie Hunter, putting runners on the corners with no outs.
Golden broke from first early in an attempt to draw a throw from the left-hand pitching Martinez, but Shaffer didn’t break from the bag at third until late. The play ended with Golden tagged out in the rundown and Shaffer pegged at home. Tyler Gillmen then popped out to the catcher, ending what started as a promising inning.
“I don’t think that was the turning point in the game,” Coleman said. “We had the bases loaded twice and couldn’t get a big hit. It seems like that’s the way our whole season has gone.”
Golden finished 3-for-3 at the plate, while Shaffer went 1-for-3.
Martinez led the Trojans with a 4-for-6 day at the plate that included 2 RBI. Cole Walters went 3-for-4 with two doubles and 3 RBI.
GAME NOTES: Shaffer is now on a four-game hitting streak, with 8 RBI … Mount Union got 18 players into the game … the loss was Golden’s first of the season … Tyrone travels to Penns Valley today for their fourth game in the last four days.
MOUNT UNION 16 TYRONE 2
MOUNT UNION – Martinez, 1b-p, 6-2-4; Smith, pr, 0-0-0; Krepps, pr, 0-2-0; Park, 2b, 4-1-0; Walters, c, 4-0-3; Sentman, cr, 0-2-0; Dixon, p-1b, 2-0-0; Hockenberry, cr, 0-1-0; Kolb, lf, 4-1-1; Walker, ph, 1-1-0; B. Clemens, ss, 4-2-2; E. Clemens, dh, 3-2-0; Varner, 3b, 4-1-2; Kuykendall, ph, 1-0-1; Hollibaugh, cf, 3-1-0; Morrow, ph, 1-0-0. TOTALS: 37-16-13.
TYRONE – Rudy, 2b, 2-1-0; Wilburn, ph, 1-0-0; Hunter, rf-3b, 2-1-0; Decker, ph, 1-0-0; Shaffer, 1b-3b, 3-0-1; Golden, p-1b-3b, 3-0-3; Gillmen, lf, 2-0-1; Levinson, dh-ss, 2-0-0; Brooks, 3b, 0-0-0; Romano, rf-p, 0-0-0; Anders, c, 3-0-0; Hoover, ss-p, 1-0-0; Cunningham, ph, 1-0-0; Schopp, cf, 2-0-0; Moore, ph, 1-0-0. TOTALS: 24-2-5.
MOUNT UNION 011 000 (14) 16-13-0
TYRONE 000 020 0 2- 5- 6
2B: Golden, Martinez, Walters 2, B. Clemens
RBI: Martinez 2, Walters 3, Dixon, Kolb, Clemens, E. Clemens, Varner 2, Kuykendall, Hollibaugh, Shaffer, Golden
K: Martinez 4, Dixon 7, Golden 6, Hoover 1
BB: Martinez 2, Dixon 4, Golden 4, Romano 1, Hoover 3
WP: Martinez LP: Golden
