Nine wins, five players who hit over .400, and a team batting average of .328 is a nice accomplishment for any team, but for the Tyrone Legion, who had only three 18-year-olds on their full time roster, and almost didn\’t have a team this season, the accomplishments were even sweeter.
The fact the Legion lost their final game, a game that would have put them into the playoffs, doesn\’t diminish the contributions made by everyone to get the team into that position.
The Tyrone Legion opened the season against Barkman-Oil/Altoona First, the team that had eliminated them two games to one a year earlier in the George B. Kelley Federation semi-finals. Behind the pitching of Jamie Levinson, who finished the season with a respectable ERA of 4.28, the Legion picked up the win 7-5. Barkman Oil/Altoona First recovered from the loss and finished the season as the runner-up in the regular season standings.
The win showed that the Tyrone Legion could play with anyone, and they continued to prove that throughout the season. In their first loss, against ReMax Realty, Tyrone\’s Tyler Gillmen held ReMax to only four runs, but the Tyrone Legion managed only four hits in a 4-1 loss. Two of those hits came from Gillmen, who batted .426 and led the team with 25 runs batted in.
Most of the Tyrone Legion players were getting their first Kelley Federation action, and as the team grew together, they experienced some bumps along the way. The Legion followed their loss to ReMax Realty with four more, and the team batting average was a paltry .197.
In final loss of the streak, the Tyrone Legion almost stole a game from McMullen\’s Furniture. Tyler Golden, who hit .402 while finding a home batting second in the lineup, had a three-hit game, and Justin Schopp began a long stretch of great hitting with a single and a triple.
McMullen\’s Furniture won the game in extra innings, but the Tyrone Legion had finally started to figure it out in the batter\’s box.
Tyrone traveled to Hollidaysburg at 1-5 and in dire need of a victory against the team holding the last playoff spot, Hoss\’s. Mike Romano was able to pitch well enough to keep Tyrone in the game and left the game with the score tied. Gillmen relieved Romano and allowed a run, but in the seventh inning, Jared Rodgers came through with a pinch hit leadoff single that got the ball rolling toward a 4-3 victory.
The Tyrone Legion continued their winning ways against Sheetz in a 16-2 victory that featured a 13-run third inning. Golden, who went 4-2 on the mound, picked up the victory.
Tyrone\’s next stop was in Martinsburg for a rematch against Barkman Oil/Altoona First. Unfortunately, only nine players made the trip, and the game turned into a blow-out. Jesse Hertzler managed to provide one of the few highlights of the game for the Tyrone Legion with a solo home run, and Todd Boytim threw a runner out at home.
After the Legion dropped a heart breaker to Martin Oil, they bounced back with a win over Park Furniture in which Schopp had four hits, one of them being a home run.
A day after scoring 12 runs to beat Park Furniture, the Legion scored only one against Dick\’s Pharmacy, but picked up the victory 1-0 behind a Tyler Gillmen shutout. Gillmen finished the season with a 4.78 ERA and a record of 3-3. The one run in the game was provided by a RBI single from Tyler Hoover, who batted .407 with 16 runs batted in.
The Tyrone Legion made in three in a row when they beat Hoss\’s in Tyrone. Gillmen hit his second of three home runs on the season, and Derrick Soellner, who batted .437 with 18 runs batted in, had four hits in the 9-5 victory.
A shorthanded Tyrone Legion team laughed off a loss to ReMax Realty in which ReMax forgot that baseball is about having fun.
The team rebounded to defeat Corporal Miller, another playoff team, 9-7. Matt Morrissey had two hits and three runs batted in, and Schopp, who led the team in batting average at .483, had two hits as well in the victory.
A six-run fifth inning led to another heart breaking loss against Martin Oil, and a day later, the Legion lost another close one, 7-5, to McMullen\’s Furniture despite a Gillmen home run. The game marked Rodgers\’ final game with the team, because he had to go to college, and he singled in his last at bat.
Tyrone got the bats working again against Sheetz, winning 18-9. David Rodland recorded his first Kelley Federation base hit in the game, and was compared to Babe Ruth by Sheetz players.
The next three games were tough on the Tyrone Legion, because four regular starters, Gillmen, Golden, Schopp and Donnie Conrad went away to a football camp. Brandon Oswalt, John Miller and Rodland stepped in to assure the Legion could field a team.
Down 11-3 against Corporal Miller in the third of those games, rain stopped play until the next day.
When play resumed, the Tyrone Legion had all their players back and put up a gallant effort, scoring 10 runs in two innings, but came up just short 15-13. Levinson, who batted .278 and had 18 runs batted in, had a three-run triple in the game. Morrissey, who walked a team high 17 times on the season, walked four times in this game alone.
The Legion picked up their final victory of the season by beating Sheetz for the third time, 12-2. Soellner and Gillmen both knocked in four runs.
Tyrone spent the next week trying to play their final game against Hoss\’s, which was finally finished the third time the game was played. Morrissey, playing in his final Kelley Federation game, had three hits to end the season batting .320. Tyrone led 5-4 after four innings, but lost 11-6 when Hoss\’s bats finally figured out the Legion\’s pitching.
Gillmen, Golden and Morrissey finished tied with 20 runs scored to lead the team in that category. Soellner and Gillmen tied for the team lead in doubles with five, and Levinson led in triples with two.
Gillmen claimed the home run title with three as well as the stolen base lead with 15.
Hoover, Soellner, Levinson and Ben Lynn finished tied in the hit by pitch category with two a piece. Gillmen finished with an on base percentage of .551; Schopp finished at .516, and Hoover finished one percentage point below him at .515.
Romano and Conrad provided good defense in the outfield and came through with a few clutch hits. Hertzler hit .298 and had an ERA on the mound of infinity.
Despite missing the playoffs, the Tyrone Legion\’s season must be viewed as a success. Derrick Soellner, Matt Morrissey and Jared Rodgers are the only regulars who will not be returning next season. With a young core, the Legion is poised to be a contender for the George B. Kelley Federation title in the future.
Legion Notes: This season could have never happened without the Tyrone American Legion, Dan Sprankle, Harry Sickler, Greg Hoover, Kelly Wike, and the Tyrone City Council\’s last minute contributions to the team.
Thanks should also go out to John Gummo who did his best to make sure the team had equipment and uniforms. Tyler Mertiff, Matt Germino and Jason Wilson also did an excellent job on the coaching staff this season.
