Photo for the Mirror by Roger Kerekes Cumming Motors’ Alex Ebeling scores on a wild pitch in front of Mainline Pharmacy’s Conner McTighe (left) and Bryce Devan.

JOHNSTOWN — Pitching well and executing excellent defense are the linchpins behind playing championship baseball.

The Altoona Cumming Motors team limited Johnstown Mainline Pharmacy to just one run, and Cumming Motors came up with three double plays on defense, en route to a 5-1 victory over Johnstown Mainline Pharmacy in an All American Amateur Baseball Association second-round pool play matchup Tuesday night at Sargent’s Stadium at the Point.

Moshannon Valley High School grad, and current Penn State DuBois pitcher, Zach Witherow tossed 5ª scoreless innings and Central High grad Jacob Detwiler came on in relief to get credit for the win by closing out the final 3• innings, allowing just one run and three hits.

Cumming Motors (1-1) faces Cleveland (0-2) in a noon game today at the Michael Bryja Memorial Field at Forest Hills High School. It’s a must-win situation for Cumming Motors, which hopes to advance out of its Pool D with a 2-1 record and into Thursday’s quarterfinal round.

After suffering a mercy-rule loss to New Brunswick in Monday’s opening round, Cumming Motors rebounded gamely on Tuesday night.

“It was a great bounce back for these guys,” Cumming Motors manager Chris Sanders said. “They came to play today.”

The pitching of Witherow and Detwiler — who transferred from Lebanon Valley to the Indiana University of Pennsylvania for his upcoming senior year — was pivotal in Tuesday’s win.

“Zach has been our ace on the mound all season,” Sanders said of Witherow. “The kid has a great arm and he throws hard.

“And what can you say about Jake Detwiler — he absolutely shoved it tonight,” Sanders added. “He’s been doing that all year for us too.”

Defense was also a factor for Cumming Motors, and a big reason why Johnstown Mainline Pharmacy stranded an eye-opening 15 baserunners in the game.

“They had plenty of chances tonight,” Sanders said of the Mainline Pharmacy team. “Defensively, we came to play ball.”

Particularly second baseman Aidan Steinbugl, who had a hand in all three double plays. The Altoona High grad, who is now playing collegiate baseball at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, started a 4-6-3 double play with shortstop Peyton Vancas and first baseman Ethan Schimony to shut down a Mainline threat in the fourth inning.

In the seventh inning, with two Mainline runners on first and second base and only one out, Steinbugl snared a line drive off the bat of Connor McTighe and stepped on second to double off the lead runner and end the inning.

In the eighth inning, Steinbugl made an unassisted play at second base on ground ball, and tossed to Schimony at first base to complete the double play.

“Aidan and Vancas have been playing good defense for us all year,” Sanders said. “Nobody can take anything away from those two.”

Johnstown Mainline Pharmacy manager Chance Osborne gave Cumming Motors due credit.

“Hats off to their pitchers, and as a team, they made some good plays today on defense,” Mainline Pharmacy manager Chance Osborne said. “We hit the ball today but we struggled to execute with runners in scoring position.”

Cumming Motors broke out of a scoreless tie with a run in the seventh inning as Alex Ebeling drew a leadoff walk, was bunted up to second by Altoona grad Tyreke Green, moved to third on Steinbugl’s single, and scored on a wild pitch by reliever Bryce Devan.

Cumming Motors added two runs in both the eighth and ninth innings to gain separation. In the eighth inning, Ayden Albright doubled, and Nate Helms and Ebeling both walked to load the bases with two outs.

Green’s infield single up the middle of the field scored Albright, and Helms alertly sped home with the third Cumming Motors run of the game when the throw toward home plate sailed a bit wide and he beat the tag.

“I thought that was a turning point for us,” Sanders said.

RBI singles by Altoona High grad Aaron Smearman and Vancas in the ninth inning gave Cumming Motors its final margin of victory.

“It feels great to win tonight, and we want to keep everything going,” Detwiler said. “We pitched well and played defense well tonight, and I have faith in our guys that they’re going to get the bats going in our next game.”

ALTOONA CUMMING MOTORS (5): Green cf 301, Steinbugl 2b 401, Schimony 1b 200, Angus pr 010, Witherow p 000, Detwiler p 000, Knable dh 311, Smearman eh 401, Vancus ss 401, Stoner 3b 400, Albright rf 411, Helms c 210, Ebeling 2b 110. Totals – 31-5-6.

JOHNSTOWN MAINLINE PHARMACY (1): Brody Roberts lf 512, Turner rf 201, Kessler ss 402, Williamson p 000, Devan p 000, Mykut p 000, Reffner dh 502, Hoover 2b 401, Rhodes cf 400, McTighe c 501, Iseminger 1b 201, Bryce Roberts 3b 401. Totals – 35-1-11.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Cumming Motors 000 000 122–5-6-0

Mainline Pharmacy 000 000 010–1-11-1

E–Hoover. 2B–Albright, Reffner. RBI–Green, Smearman, Vancus, Kessler. SAC–Greene. DP–Cumming Motors turned 3 — Steinbugl to Vancus to Schimony; Steinbugl unassisted; Steinbugl to Schimony. HBP–Kessler (by Witherow); Hoover (by Witherow); Schimony (by Mykut). LOB–Johnstown Mainline 15, Cumming Motors 6.

PITCHING

Altoona Cumming Motors: Witherow 5 2/3 IP, 8H, 0R, 0ER, 3BB, 2SO; Detwiler (W) 3 1/3IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 3BB, 0SO.

Johnstown Mainline Pharmacy: Williamson (L) 6 1/3IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 8SO; Devan 1 2/3IP, 2H, 2R, 1ER, 2BB, 2SO; Mykut 1 IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 0SO.

WP–Detwiler, Devan. PB–McTighe.

Umpires: Seth Matthews (plate); Don Bachota (1b); Brent Dorofey (3b).

Records: Altoona Cumming Motors (1-1); Johnstown Mainline Pharmacy (1-1).