The Chill-N-Grill team captured the Tyrone Area Youth Baseball Association Minor League championship last week with a 13-9 win over Hookies in the finals.
Chill-N-Grill got on the board first in the top of the opening inning, before Hookies had a chance to bat and then quickly added six more in the second stanza to open up a big 7-0 advantage.
Hookies scored twice in the bottom of the second and then battled their adversaries even-up over the final three innings, but couldn’t overcome the early lead by the champions.
Joey Gearhart led off the game for Chill-N-Grill with a single and Jacob Belinda reached on an error. Dylan Weston was hit by a pitch to load the bases, before Lucas Woomer drew a walk to force in Gearhart with the first run of the game.
In the second inning, James Oliver and Garrett Woodring walked to begin the frame. Gearhart was safe on a error that loaded the bases. Consecutive walks to Belinda and Weston brought home a pair of scores and Belinda and Weston trotted home on a base hit by Woomer. The final tally of the inning was Woomer scoring on a single by winning pitcher Anthony Zimmerman.
While Chill-N-Grill was helped by walks, they gave Hookies part of that right back in the bottom of the second when five walks-to Terel Albright, Brad Wirtner, Tom Decker, Kirby Tucker and Tristan Walters with Albright and Wirtner scoring to slice the lead to 7-2.
An inning later, Hookies scored two more times to cut the deficit to 7-4. Nick Wolfe, Nick Mills and Albright loaded the bases. Wolfe was out at home plate on a fielder’s choice. Nick Mills was able to score on an error on a ball hit by Decker before a walk to Tristan Walters scored Albright.
After that, the two teams played each other on nearly even terms with Chill-N-Grill gaining a 5-4 advantage in runs scored to ease into the championship.
Belinda walked and Weston doubled in the top of the fourth to put runners at the corners. Woomer got then both home by blasting a triple and then scored on a single by Zimmerman. Derrick Lehner and Caleb Hammond walked and a throw to get the runner going to third was wild allowing Zimmerman to score.
In the top of the sixth, Zimmerman, Lehner and Hammond all walked to load the bases for Chill-N-Grill. Oliver was hit by a pitch to score Zimmerman and Lehner scored on a fielder’s choice.
Hookies was able to score four times in the bottom of the fourth to match CNG’s production and add another tally in the sixth, but it wasn’t to be enough.
Corey Snyder led off the Hookies half of the inning by booming a triple. An error on a ball hit by Ryan Fink brought Snyder home. Wolfe and Mills were safe on back-to-back errors, with Fink scoring on the ball hit by Wolfe. A single by Albright plated Wolfe and Mills.
Needing to score at least five to keep the game going, Hookies had to settle for one and second place. Fink singled and moved up to second on a passed ball. When the ball was thrown to third to get Fink, he was able to score when the ball ended up in left field.
The Minor League champs will have a get-together within the next two weeks at the Chill-N-Grill for presentation of individual trophies and presents.
Chill-n-Grill 13 Hookies 9
CNG – Joey Gearhart, 2b-3b, 4-2-1; Jacob Belinda, ss, 1-2-0; Dylan Weston, c, 2-2-1; Lucas Woomer, 1b-p, 3-2-2; Anthony Zimmerman, p-1b, 3-2-2; Derrick Lehner, 3b-2b, 1-1-0; Caleb Hammond, lf, 2-0-0; James Oliver, lc, 2-1-0; Garrett Woodring, rc, 0-1-0; Dusty Stroup, rc, 2-0-0; Kristan Cowher, rf, 3-0-0; Mike Day, rf, 2-0-0. TOTALS 25-13-5.
HO – Corey Snyder, c-ss-p, 4-1-1; Ryan Fink, 1b, 4-2-1; Nick Wolfe, 3b, 1-1-0; Nick Mills, rc, 3-2-0; Terel Albright, rc, 2-2-1; Brad Wirtner, ss-p, 3-1-0; Tom Decker, 2b, 2-0-0; Brett L, rf, 3-0-0; Kirby Tucker, lf, 0-0-0; Tristan Walters, lc, 2-0-0.
CNG 160 402 13-5-5.
