One of the nicest thing about the Tyrone Golden Eagles\u2019 stacked line-up is its ability to beat you in so many ways, with so many different players.
\nYou expect that the big sticks from one through four will come through, but who, for example, going into yesterday\u2019s pivotal MAC Division III game against Mount Union, would have thought that sophomore Tyler Gillmen \u2013 who in his only other appearance against the Trojans went 0-for-2 \u2013 would go 2-for-4 with a three-run home-run?
\nAnd who would have thought that designated hitter Buddy Stotler, who likewise was 0-for-2 lifetime against Mount Union and batting out of the seven-hole, would go 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run?
\nThose were the kind of contributions that were missing on April 6 when the Trojans handed Tyrone its first loss, 3-1 in Mount Union.
\nAnd they were the kind that made all the difference yesterday as Tyrone defeated MU 10-4 at the Harry K. Sickler Athletic Complex to improve to 10-4 overall and put itself in position to take control of the MAC. Now 6-2 in conference, the Eagles have one game remaining this week with West Branch, who likewise defeated Tyrone earlier this season during the Eagles 10-game road trip during April.
\n\u201cThis is a great group and they played a heckuva game today,\u201d said Tyrone manager Tom Coleman. \u201cGive it to the kids. When we needed them the most, they all came through for us.\u201d
\nSenior southpaw Clint Wilson pitched his second consecutive complete game on his way to his fourth victory of the season. He allowed only two earned runs and struck out five while scattering eight hits.
\nWilson was rarely hit hard and kept Mount Union\u2019s batters off balance most of the game, particularly at the top of the order where the Trojans\u2019 one through five hitters went 3-for-20 with zero runs and 2 RBI.
\n\u201cClint pitched within himself today,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t have the mental mistakes or the defensive errors behind him, and he stepped up big for us.\u201d
\nWilson also went 3-for-4 at the plate as one of five Golden Eagles with two or more hits. Tyrone finished with 14 hits \u2013 three for extra bases \u2013 and had eight of its nine batters reach base at least once.
\nJohn Martinez was tagged with the loss, surrendering all 10 of Tyrone\u2019s runs in his six innings, although only six were earned.
\nMartinez was hit particularly hard in the first inning, when Tyrone touched him for four runs on five hits to take an early lead. Derrick Soellner plated two with a single to right after a Brinton Mingle double had put runners on second and third, and later Ben Gummo and Stotler came through with RBI singles of their own.
\nMount Union (10-4-1) cut the lead in half in its next at-bat as a walk and two seeing-eye singles by Ryan Pollicino and Matt Baird set the table for Martinez, who drove Wilson\u2019s 3-2 delivery deep to center and over the fence on one hop for a two-run book rule double.
\nTyrone got one run back in the fourth on a sacrifice fly to center by Brice Mertiff that brought home Stotler, but it wasn\u2019t until the fifth inning that the Eagles began to seriously add on to their lead. Wilson singled to start the rally, and Gillmen followed with a double to the gap in right-center putting runners on second and third.
\nGummo followed, and his grounder to the hole in short found its way into the outfield, but only after Gillmen narrowly avoided contact with Trojan shortstop Matt Hoffmaster. MU coach Nick Imperioli argued the ruling, calling for interference with Hoffmaster\u2019s ability to field the ball, but in the end it was a 2 RBI single for Gummo, and a 7-2 Tyrone lead.
\nThe Trojans cut it to 7-4 in the top of the sixth with two unearned runs after Tyrone first baseman Tyler Golden mishandled a throw from Mertiff with two outs, but the damage could have been much worse. Wilson walked aboard the first two batters of the inning but got some help from his defense when Josh Clark tracked down a Policino fly ball in center, and then threw to second to pick off Jordy Yocum, who had left early on a tag attempt.
\nThe final blow for Mount Union came on Gillmen\u2019s three-run shot in the sixth, a bomb on an 0-1 pitch that easily cleared the 365-foot fence down the left field line. It was Gillmen\u2019s fourth extra base hit in the last four games and his second round-tripper of the season.
\nIt all happened only after Trojan first baseman Bubba Brown dropped the relay throw on what should have been a routine inning-ending double play.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s definitely being more aggressive at the plate and it was big for us in that situation \u2013 a first-year starter and a tenth grader coming up and getting us those runs,\u201d said Coleman. \u201cIt was nice to capitalize off of one of their mistakes.\u201d
\nDIAMOND NOTES: Wilson dropped his ERA to 3.34 \u2026 Mingle\u2019s double was his team-leading ninth of the season \u2026 Gummo snapped out of an 0-for-8 slump \u2026 the Eagles have now hit 13 home runs this season \u2026 Tyrone plays West Branch at home on Wednesday. The Warriors topped Tyrone 11-7 on April 11.
\nTyrone 10 Mount Union 4
\n MOUNT UNION \u2013 Martinez, p, 4-0-1; N. McConaughey, cr, 0-0-0; Brown, 1b, 4-0-0; Hollibaugh, rf, 0-0-0; McVey, dh, 4-0-1; Hoffmaster, ss, 3-0-0; J. McConaughey, cr, 0-0-0; Yocum, c, 3-0-1; Policino, 2b, 2-2-1; Baird, lf, 4-1-1; Clemens, 3b, 3-1-1; Atherton, cf, 3-0-2. TOTALS: 30-4-8.
\nTyrone \u2013 Mertiff, ss, 2-1-0; Mingle, rf, 4-1-2; Soellner, c, 4-0-1; Myers, cr, 0-2-0; Wilson, p, 4-0-3; , Morrissey, cr, 0-3-0; Gillmen, 3b, 4-2-2; Gummo, 2b, 4-0-2; Golden, 1b, 0-0-0; Stotler, dh, 3-1-3; Maceno, lf, 4-0-1; Clark, cf, 2-0-0. TOTALS: 31-10-14.
\nMount Union 020 002 0 \u2013 4- 8-4
\nTyrone 400 123 X \u2013 10-14-2
\n2B: Mingle, Gillmen, Martinez
\nHR: Gillmen
\nRBI: Gillmen 3, Gummo 3, Soellner 2, Stotler, Mertiff, Atherton 2, Martinez 2
\nSO: Wilson 7, Martinez 2
\nBB: Wilson 4, Martinez 1
\nWP: Wilson LP: Martinez<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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