At the rate the Tyrone Golden Eagles are playing, they may not have to worry too much this season about fatigue, sore elbows, nagging injuries, or any of the other setbacks most clubs experience during the grind of a 20-game regular season.
That’s because they’re making a habit of clocking out early, yesterday ending their second consecutive game before regulation with a 15-0 white-washing of Williamsburg at the Harry K. Sickler Sports Complex.
The game lasted four innings, which means that of the 14 innings the Eagles could have played in their first two games, they played only nine. It was Tyrone’s second-straight game with double-digit hits and just one error, and the team’s four extra-base hits boosted their two-game total to 10.
Eighteen players entered the game for Tyrone, nine had hits, and 10 scored runs, which was just one of the positive aspects manager Tom Coleman saw in playing an undermanned Williamsburg squad making its 2005 debut.
“It gets us some more at-bats, and it prepares us for next week,” said Coleman. “It also gave us a good look at a couple of pitchers and allowed us to get a lot of kids playing time.”
Senior Ben Gummo was one of the hurlers that Coleman got a look at, if only for two innings. In that time, he faced only seven batters, striking out three while not allowing a hit. He picked up his first win this season, and gave way to classmate Brandon Maceno in the third.
Maceno fanned four batters and worked out of a minor jam in the third when Williamsburg managed to get two runners on base.
Senior Derrick Soellner led Tyrone offensively, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI. Brinton Mingle also drove in three, going 1-for-3 with two runs scored.
Gummo scored three times, Shane Christine drove home a pair, and Buddy Stottler registered his third double in two days.
“One of our strengths is that we continue to put the ball into play and force the other team to make some plays to beat us,” said Coleman. “From top to bottom, we’re seeing the ball and hitting it hard.”
Tyrone scored four runs in each of the first three innings. In the first, only two of Tyrone’s runs were earned as Williamsburg starter Brandon Chamberlain struggled to fund the plate. Soellner doubled home Clint Wilson and two runners scored on a passed ball and a wild pitch.
Josh Clark led of the second with a triple and scored on a throwing error, and Mingle picked up two RBI with a single to left-center. He later scored on a passed ball, making it 8-0.
Chamberlain stayed in for the third despite his control problems and the Eagles made him pay. Soellner drove in two with a double just inside the third base line, and the Eagles led 12-0 by the end of the frame.
In the fourth, Christine singled with runners on second and third to plate two, and he was driven home one batter later on Stottler’s double deep into the right-center gap.
GAME NOTES: Ben Lynn, Jamie Levinson and Christine each recorded their first varsity hits … Tyrone has outscored its first two opponents 26-1 … the game was originally scheduled for Williamsburg but then moved to Tyrone due to the Pirates’ poor field conditions. Tyrone played as the visiting team.
Tyrone 15 Williamsburg 0, 4 innings
TYRONE – Mertiff, ss, 2-1-1; Levinson, ss, 1-1-0; Gummo, p, 2-3-1; Morrissey, 2b, 1-0-0; Mingle, rf, 3-2-1; Christine, rf, 1-1-1; Wilson, 1b, 1-1-1; Stottler, 1b, 1-1-1; Soellner, c, 3-0-2; Graham, c, 1-0-0; Lynn, cr-cf, 1-2-1; Gillmen, 3b, 0-1-0; Hertzler, 3b, 0-0-0; Maceno, 2b-p, 3-0-0; Myers, lf, 2-0-0; Golden, lf, 1-0-0; Rodgers, lf, 0-0-0; Clark, cf, 2-2-1. TOTALS: 25-15-10
WILLIAMSBURG – Robley, lf, 1-0-1; Shaffer, 3b, 1-0-0; Eastep, ss, 2-0-0; Pearson, 1b, 2-0-1; Hoover, cf, 2-0-1; Chamberlain, p, 0-0-0; Stevens, 2b, 1-0-0; Shock, c, 0-0-0; Price, dh, 2-0-0; Fay, rf-p, 2-0-0; Martin, 2b, 1-0-0. TOTALS: 14-0-3.
TYRONE 444 3XX X – 15-10-1
WILLIAMSBURG 000 0XX X – 0-3-6
2B: Soellner 2, Stottler
3B: Clark
RBI: Mingle 3, Soellner 3, Christine 2, Stottler 1, Maceno 1
BB: Gummo 2, Chamberlain 7
K: Gummo 3, Maceno 4
WP: Gummo LP: Chamberlain
