Trending
By Jon Fleck
For the Mirror
TYRONE -- The Tyrone baseball team battled all season, and Tuesday's District 6 Class 3 semifinal matchup against Penns Valley was no different.
Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the Golden Eagles rallied to push one run across but left the tying stranded at third. The 3-2 loss ends the season for the defending state champs. The Rams advance to play Central in the district championship game Saturday at PNG Field.
Penns Valley pitcher McClain Welshans gave up just five hits, keeping Tyrone off-balance by throwing both his fastball and curveball for strikes.
"I was changing speeds as much as I can, changing speeds on my fastball and using a slow curveball to keep 'em off-balance," Welshans said.
The lanky, right-hander struck out just one, but Tyrone struggled to make solid contact throughout the game
"We knew coming in he's a good pitcher. We faced him twice this year," Tyrone coach Kevin Soellner said. "We knew what he had, and we knew it would be a battle."
The Rams jumped on Tyrone early, scoring one in the first and two more in the second for an early 3-0 lead.
Welshans got PV started in the top of the first with a ringing double, and courtesy runner Luke Confer came around to score on a Dakota Brodzina sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.
After Welshans retired Tyrone in order in the bottom half, Penns Valley went back on the attack in the second. Malachi Thompson's infield single scored Jaden Simons, who walked to lead off the inning, and a throwing error on the play allowed Miles Brooks to score as well for a 3-0 lead.
Ross Gampe settled down after that, pitching scoreless baseball the rest of the way to keep Tyrone close. He struck out four and gave up just five hits.
"At the beginning there, I was ready to change pitchers. It wasn't really him, but I thought we just needed something different. He seemed to get stronger as the game went along. He did well," Soellner said.
Tyrone got on the board in the third when Courtlynd Rhoades reached on an infield single and went to second on a throwing error. Ashton Walk singled Rhoades home but then was thrown out trying to steal to second, ending the threat.
After Aiden Coleman led off the seventh with a single, Welshans retired the next two batters. Back-to-back singles from Nick Lehner and Rhoades kept Tyrone alive, the latter of which scored Coleman. Welshans, however, got the final out on a pop up to second base.
"There was a lot of adversity this season. Injuries and a lot of stuff the kids to deal with," Soellner said. "The senior class is who I think about the most. They've been through the highs and the lows. They had the low of losing a season to Covid, and the high of last year. This year, they all battled and fought."
PENNS VALLEY (3): Hauser 2b 401, Welshans p 301, Confer cr 010, Sweitzer rf 300, Brodzina c 200, Houtz 3b 301, Simons dh 210, Miller 1b 000, Meyer ss 300, Brooks cf 311, Thompson lf 301. Totals - 26 3 5.
TYRONE (2): Walk ss 301, Lang lf 300, LeGars cf 300, A.J. Coleman rf 000, A. Coleman dh 211, Gampe p 300, Patterson cr 000, Brooks 2b 200, Lehner 3b 301, Miller pr 000, Rhoades 1b 312, Hamer c 300. Totals - 25 2 5.
SCORE BY INNINGS
Penns Valley 120 000 0 - 3 5 1
Tyrone 001 000 1 - 2 5 2
E-Meyer, Lehner, Walk. 2B-Welshans. RBI-Brodzina, Thompson, Walk, Rhoades. WP-Welshans. LP-Gampe. SO-Welshans 1, Gampe 4. BB-Welshans 2, Gampe 1.
Records: Penns Valley (11-11); Tyrone (11-9).