During a season in which the Tyrone Legion has been incredibly inconsistent, two things have been fairly steady. Jamie Levinson comes through with people in scoring position, and Tyler Gillmen pitches well.
Both things happened Thursday as Tyrone outlasted Locker Room 8-4 in nine innings.
Gillmen went the distance on the mound and allowed only one earned run while lowering his season ERA to 2.88 and upping his record to 6-1. He struck out 13 batters, including five in the final three innings.
“Tyler was amazing out there tonight,” Tyrone Legion Manager Mike Boytim said. “This is the third game he’s really had shutout-type stuff, but offense was hard to come by today. I was glad to see him be able to stick around long enough to pick up the win, because he gave us a chance to finally get our offense going by keeping the game alive.”
If it had not been for Levinson’s clutch hitting however, Gillmen’s gem would have gone for naught.
With one out in the top of the ninth inning and runners at second and third, Levinson singled over the drawn-in infield to plate Gillmen and Tyler Hoover. Levinson and Andy Ashcroft, who reached on an error, scored later in the inning when Tyler Conrad reached on an error to give Tyrone a four-run cushion.
“Jamie having a three-hit night and picking up his 22nd and 23rd RBI was a really good sign,” Boytim said. “If we can get his bat going more consistently, we’ll have a very potent offense.”
The extra inning heroics would not have happened had it not been for an excellent at-bat by Hoover in the top of the seventh inning. Trailing 4-3 with runners on second and third, Hoover fell behind 0-2 in the count, but he fouled off several pitches while working the count full before walking on a wild pitch that allowed Justin Schopp to score the tying run.
The Tyrone Legion had tied the game at three an inning before when Jesse Hertzler and Gillmen hit back-to-back doubles, and Ashcroft hit a RBI ground out.
Locker Room managed only six hits, four by Joey Ulsh including a RBI triple in the fifth inning.
“We were playing a bit short-handed tonight, but honestly, every one of the nine players who showed up to the game contributed in some way to the win tonight,” Boytim said. “Tyler Conrad didn’t get credit for a hit in the final inning, but he put the ball in play, made them work, and we got two insurance runs out of it.”
The Tyrone Legion, now 12-6, will continue to play short-handed as they look to extend their winning streak to seven when they host Hoss’s today at 6 p.m.
Sprankle’s Auto Outlet Notes: With the win, Tyrone improved to 2-0 in extra inning games this season… Levinson’s 23 RBI lead the team… Mike Romano returned to action for the first time this season and started in center field, making catches on several hard hit balls… Gillmen stole second base in the ninth inning for his 17th consecutive successful steal.
Tyrone Legion 8 Locker Room 4, 9 Inn.
Tyrone Legion – Schopp, c, 4-2-2; Hertzler, 3b, 4-1-2; Gillmen, p, 3-2-1; Hoover, 1b, 4-1-2; Levinson, ss, 5-1-3; Ashcroft, 2b, 5-1-1; Romano, cf, 5-0-0; T. Conrad, rf-lf, 4-0-0; Rodland, lf-rf, 3-0-0. TOTALS 37-8-11.
Locker Room – Coppersmith, c, 4-1-2; Ulsh, 2b, 5-1-4; Yon, 3b, 5-0-0; Wilt, 1b, 4-1-0; Albright, p, 3-0-0; Sweeney, cr-rf, 2-1-0; Thompson, ss-p, 3-0-0; Wood, lf, 4-0-0; Ryan, rf-cf, 2-0-0; Fanella, ph, 0-0-0; Dunning, cf, 2-0-0. TOTALS 34-4-6.
Tyrone Legion 100 002 104 8-11-3
Locker Room 000 211 000 4- 6-2
2B: Gillmen, Hertzler
3B: Ulsh
RBI: Gillmen 2, Levinson 2, Ashcroft, Ulsh
SO: Gillmen 13, Albright 8, Thompson 2
BB: Gillmen 6, Albright 6, Thompson 1
WP: Gillmen LP: Thompson
