Martin Oil and Tyrone Legion played on Sunday at Stadium Drive field in Bellwood, in the first meeting of the George B. Kelley Federation season between perennial rivals from Bellwood-Antis and Tyrone. This time it was Martin Oil taking the early lead and then hanging on to a 10-7 victory, their second of the weekend. Martin Oil handed Park Furniture (3-1) their first loss of the season 9-6 at Juniata, on Saturday, while Tyrone Legion was edged 5-4 by Corporal Miller at the Harry K. Sickler Athletic Park, on Saturday.
Tyrone Legion scored first at Bellwood, in the top of the second inning. With Chad Coho on the hill for Martin Oil, Aaron Cunningham drilled a double to the fence in right center and moved up to third base, when Mike Romano laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line that stayed fair for a base hit to put runners at the corners with nobody out. Martin Oil dodged one bullet when Mike Moore grounded to third baseman Cameron Irvin, who fired home to Martin Oil catcher Jake Manning, who tagged out Cunningham. Mike Rodland, the next batter, got Romano home with the first run, when he grounded out, Irvin to Justin Manning at second for the second out of the inning.
In the home half of the third inning, Martin Oil took the lead for good. Justin Manning walked to begin the frame. After Manning stole second base, Trey Mock beat out an infield single with one out. When the ball was thrown away, Manning scored and Mock continued around to third base on a throwing error. Earnie Kelley singled to right to add the third score of the inning, plating Mock.
Tyrone Legion (3-5) sliced the deficit to 3-2 in the top of the fourth. Romano singled to center, then moved up to third base on two errors on the same play on a grounder by Rodland. With two down, Donnie Hunter doubled down the right field line to score Romano.
Martin Oil (5-3) countered with a five spot in the bottom of the inning. Coho singed up the middle to begin the at-bat, and was replaced by his younger brother, courtesy runner Jared Coho. Moving up to second, on a wild pitch, Jared went to third on a single up the middle by Adam Kovac. Justin Manning scored Coho with a sacrifice fly. Jake Manning bunted for a base hit and two Legion throwing errors allowed both Kovac and Manning to score. Mock and Kelley both singled to left. Mock scored on a wild pitch and after Garrett Rabold walked, Irvin singled home Kelley.
In the fifth, Martin Oil added two insurance scores. Jake Manning singled with one out, went to second on a wild pitch and stole third base. Mock was safe on an RBI grounder that was misplayed. Kelley and Rabold walked to load the sacks, before Irvin scored Mock with a sac fly to give Martin Oil a 10-2 advantage.
“The errors definitely killed us, right off the bat, and we left a lot of baserunners too,” said Tyrone Legion coach Jason Wilson. “Finally, in the last inning, we actually put some hits together, with a couple walks and a Martin Oil error to score some runs, at least to make it close.
Tyrone Legion refused to be counted out, drawing to within three runs with a single tally in the sixth when Jamie Levinson singled home Randy Hoover, and four more in the seventh, before Martin Oil reliever Earnie Kelley would finally get a strikeout to end the game.
With one out, Cunningham singled to right and Romano beat out an infield single, the third hit of the contest for both players. T. Hertzler bounced a grounder back to Kelley, who threw wildly trying to get a force at second enabling Cunningham to score. Romano scored on a wild pitch, Hunter walked and Hoover singled home both Hertzler and Hunter to slice the score to 10-7. Kelley stopped the bleeding right there getting Levinson on a strikeout for the final out of the game.
“The bottom of the lineup definitely helped us today. For most of the year, it has been the top of our lineup, but today the bottom came through. We had five runs scored by the bottom four guys,” said Wilson.
Chad Coho pitched the first five innings giving up two runs, one earned on six hits with one strikeout and two walks to pick up the win for Martin Oil. Earnie Kelley tossed the final two innings giving up five runs on five hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
Randy Hoover took the loss for Tyrone Legion, pitching the first three and 1/3 innings, yielding nine hits and eight runs, six earned with four Ks and two walks. Mike Romano and Donnie Hunter pitched in relief, with Romano giving up two runs, both unearned, on two hits with one strikeout and two walks in one and 2/3 innings, and Hunter pitching a perfect one-two-three sixth inning.
Trey Mock rapped three hits and Earnie Kelley and Jake Manning each had two hits to lead Martin Oil.
“Chad hung in there and pitched five pretty strong innings, and then Earnie came in to close it down” said Martin Oil manager Ed Davis. “We sort of kicked it around some to make it closer than what the score really was. It was good to see Trey pound the ball, another three-hit day, and a couple of RBI. Jake Manning had a couple of hits today and Earnie had a couple big hits. It was good to see Chad Coho start to hit the ball and get two hits. We were real pleased. With the kids that are away, it was good that we came out of it with a win, no matter what the score.”
On Saturday at Juniata, Martin Oil got the best of Park Furniture with both teams scoring in bunches. Park scored all their runs in two three-run innings and Martin Oil did just a bit better with a pair of four-run innings in the 9-6 win. Chad Coho picked up the win in this one giving up no runs in one and 1/3 innings in relief of Martin Oil starter Brian Hostler. A Matt Beech pinch double added an insurance run in the top of the seventh.
Tyrone Legion pitcher Tyler Golden struckout 12 and walked nine in the single-digit loss to Corporal Miller at Tyrone. Golden also was the hitting star for Legion, who were limited to five hits, with a double and two RBI. Donnie Hunter and Randy Hoover each scored two runs.
Martin Oil 10 Tyrone Legion 7
Tyrone Legion – Hunter, 3b-lf-p, 3-1-1; Hoover, p-2b, 5-1-2; Levinson, ss, 5-0-1; Anders, c, 3-0-0; Sims, 1b-cf, 4-0-1; Cunningham, lf-cf-1b, 4-1-3; Romano, cf-p, 3-3-3; Moore, 2b, 3-0-0; T. Hertzler, rf, 1-1-0; Rodland, rf-lf, 4-0-0. TOTALS 35-7-11.
Martin Oil – Ju. Manning, 2b, 2-0-1; J. Coho, cr-2b, 1-1-0; Ja. Manning, c, 3-2-2; Mock, ss, 4-3-3; Kelley, cf-p, 3-2-2; Rabold, 1b, 2-0-0; Beech, 1b, 0-0-0; Irvin, 3b, 2-0-1; Watters, lf-cf, 4-0-0; C. Coho, p, 2-0-2; Stephens, lf, 1-0-0; Kovac, rf, 4-1-1. TOTALS 28-10-11.
Tyrone Legion 010 101 4 7-10-4.
Martin Oil 003 520 X 10-11-5.
2B: Hunter, Cunningham, Mock.
RBI: Hoover 2, Hunter, Levinson, Rodland, Mock 2, Irvin, 2, Ju. Manning.
SO: Hoover 4, Romano 2, C. Coho 1, Kelley 4.
BB: Hoover 2, Romano 2, C. Coho 2, Kelley 1.
WP: C. Coho LP: Hoover
E: Levinson 2, Sims, Hoover, Irwin 3, Kelley 1, Beech.
