All Tyrone senior Clint Wilson wanted yesterday heading into the seventh inning was one run – one run to break a 1-1 tie against Westmont-Hilltop so that he would be pitching the seventh with the lead and a chance to send the Golden Eagles into the second round of the District 6-AA playoffs for the second straight season.
The problem was Tyrone was down to its last out, and it looked like Ben Gummo, who led off the sixth by reaching third on a three-base error, was about to become the Eagles’ fifth base runner stranded in scoring position.
That put the spotlight on an unlikely hero: senior Jeremy Myers, a utility outfielder whose only stamp on the game until then was being gunned down trying to steal second as a courtesy runner in the first inning.
Unaffected, Myers came on as a pinch hitter and lined a shot under the outstretched glove of Hilltopper second baseman Matt Chornick and all the way to the fence in right center. Gummo scored easily, opening the gates on a four-run inning, and Myers landed at third with a stand-up triple.
Wilson then did his part in the seventh, allowing only one run while fanning his tenth batter of the day in Tyrone’s 5-2 victory over Westmont at the Harry K. Sickler Sports Complex.
“Jeremy lit a spark there in the sixth inning and everybody started hitting the ball,” said Tyrone manager Tom Coleman. “It was a good situation, and he came up and put the ball in play and got us that extra run.”
“The first pitch was a ball, and I looked over at (coach Bill) Vigne and he gave me a wink and said ‘Let her rip,’” Myers said. “With two outs I was a little nervous, but I thought there’s no point in being nervous. I just put it in play, and I’ll take a triple anytime.”
It was Myers’ second extra-base hit of the season, and it revived a Tyrone offense that was nearly catatonic to that point. A team averaging 10 hits per game, the Eagles had been limited to three through the first five innings by Westy starter Andrew Rudnik.
But while Rudnik’s performance was admirable against a brutal Tyrone line-up that has found ways to produce hits and runs from batters 1 through 9, it paled in comparison to that of Wilson, who logged his fifth consecutive complete game while improving to 6-2. Along with his first double-figure strikeout game of the season, he allowed only four hits and walked four while lowering his ERA to 2.81.
“Every start this year he’s gone deep,” said Coleman. “He’s only been taken out of one game, and he’s proven he’s a seven-inning pitcher. He threw strikes, and kept the hitters guessing. Ten strikeouts, that’s really good for a high school pitcher.”
“I mixed my pitches well and kept them at different speeds, and went in and out to keep them off balance,” said Wilson. “I was pumped for this one. I couldn’t wait to get out there.”
Until Tyrone opened things up in the sixth, it looked like the Eagles might have to ride Wilson’s nearly flawless performance. Rudnik was in a groove of his own, striking out six through five innings, and the Eagles were having trouble moving runners.
Were it not for some stellar defensive performances behind Wilson, the tie could have easily been broken the other way. First baseman Tyler Golden had two of them, with a pair of diving grabs on hot liners, including one in the fourth that had him laid out flat in the hole to grab a shot between first and second. Golden snagged it, recovered to his knees, and delivered a perfect throw to Wilson who was covering at first.
In the third inning, with Westy runners on first and third, third baseman Tyler Gillmen snatched a scorching liner down the line and nearly doubled up Mike Thompson, who had wandered off the bag.
Thompson later scored to tie the game at 1-1, but the damage was minimized.
“We played the fundamentals of baseball,” said Coleman. “Goldy had a couple of spectacular plays that saved some runs. I knew our bats were going to come around. We hung around, and in the bottom of the sixth we grabbed the momentum.”
Myers started it, but three more Tyrone batters followed by reaching base, plating three more insurance runs. Brice Mertiff came after Myers and singled to make it 3-1. Brit Mingle was next and he reached first on a fielder’s choice after Mertiff beat out a force play at second.
Wilson then helped his own cause by doubling to straight-away center, plating two and giving himself enough breathing room to relax going into the seventh.
“I thought we could hold them down if we could get one more run, but once we got those others I felt a little more comfortable,” said Wilson.
The victory sends Tyrone (12-6) into the second round of the District 6 playoffs against No. 1 seed Richland at Richland on Monday. In the second round a year ago, Tyrone lost 12-2 to Central.
“Hopefully we can take that experience and senior leadership and get past the second round,” Coleman said.
DIAMOND NOTES: Tyrone did not commit an error … Wilson now had 55 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings … Mertiff and Derrick Soellner each had two hits … Wilson took a hard shot off the shin on a hit to the pitcher’s mound in the second … Mertiff left the game for half-an-inning after tweaking a groin muscle pulling up second in the sixth … Westmont ended its season 8-11… In other Class AA games, West Branch mercy-ruled Blairsville 15-5 in six innings, Portage downed Claysburg-Kimmel 7-5, Moshannon Valley eliminated Bishop Guilfoyle 11-2 and United edged Central 5-4.
Tyrone 5 Westmont-Hilltop 2
WESTMONT HILLTOP – Thompson, dh, 4-1-1; Rudnik, p, 0-0-0; Matthews, ss, 4-0-1; Hartland, c, 1-0-0; Watson, cr, 0-0-0; McKolosky, cf, 2-0-1; Chornick, 2b, 3-0-1; Ozbold, 1b, 2-0-0; Petak, rf, 2-1-0; Adams, 3b, 3-0-0; Armstrong, lf, 3-0-0. TOTALS: 24-2-4.
TYRONE – Mertiff, ss, 4-1-2; Morrissey, pr, 0-1-0; Mingle, rf, 4-1-0; Wilson, p, 2-0-1; Levinson, cr, 0-0-0; Soellner, c, 4-0-2; Myers, cr-ph, 1-1-1; Gillmen, 3b, 2-0-0; Gummo, 2b, 2-1-0; Golden, 1b, 0-0-0; Stotler, dh, 3-0-0; Maceno, cf, 3-0-0; Clark, lf, 2-0-0. TOTALS: 27-5-6.
Westmont 000 100 1 – 2-4-3
Tyrone 001 004 X – 5-6-0
3B: Myers
2B: Mertiff, Wilson, Chornick
RBI: Wilson 2, Mertiff, Soellner, Myers, Chornick, Thompson
SO: Wilson 10, Rudnik 6
BB: Wilson 4, Rudnik 4
WP: Wilson LP: Rudnik
