The one thing the Tyrone Golden Eagles felt would always be a strength failed them yesterday against Mount Union, resulting in a perplexing 3-1 loss to the perennial District 6 power on the Trojan’s home field.
Tyrone managed only three hits against poised southpaw Bubba Brown, after averaging 10 hits and 11 runs over the first three games of the season. The loss was made even more confounding for manager Tom Coleman because the Eagles’ pitching and fielding – two question spots entering the season – performed as well as they have at any time in the last two years.
Eagle fielders acommitted just one error – a boot by shortstop Ben Gummo in the third that never impacted the game – while senior lefty Clint Wilson went six strong innings, allowing three earned runs, fanning seven and walking eight.
Wilson pitched out of several tight spots, stranding five runners on second base, and the Eagles never surrendered the big inning in keeping it close. But when they were in need of a big inning when they got their own swings of the sticks, it never came.
Tyrone’s one through four hitters – who in games 1, 2 and 3 had gone 16-for-30 with eight extra base hits and 19 RBI, went 1-for-10 with just one run scored, and the Eagles only advanced four runners as far as second base.
Much of that could be attributed to the work of Brown, who kept Golden Eagle hitters off balance with a quicker-than-it-seems fastball and a biting curve. He struck out six batters over six innings to log his first win of the season. Ian Colb pitched the seventh to earn the save.
“We’re going to have to learn to manufacture runs against a pitcher of that caliber,” said Coleman. “It will come with taking a better approach at the plate. We swung at some bad balls today, and what we need to do is put those in play and make the defense work.”
The loss was Tyrone’s first of the season, dropping the Golden Eagles to 3-1 overall, and 1-1 in the Mountain Athletic Conference. Mount Union improved to 2-0-1 overall and 2-0 in the league.
Tyrone looked out of sync offensively starting with its first at-bat, when Mertiff drew a lead-off walk only to be picked off at first by Brown just one pitch into the next batter’s count. Gummo followed with a single, but it would be three more innings before an Eagle hitter would even get one out of the infield.
The Trojans had little more success against Wilson, but they were much more effective than Tyrone at turning walks and singles into runs. In the second, Matt Hoffmaster led off with a walk and was plated two batters later on a double to the left-center gap by Ryan Pollicino, making it 1-0.
In the third, Brown singled, stole second and third, and was brought home on an RBI single by Hoffmaster.
The Trojan’s 2-0 lead stuck until the sixth, when the Eagles finally manufactured a run of their own. Brit Mingle walked to start the frame and advanced to second on a ground out by Wilson. Derrick Soellner followed with a single to left to drive in Mingle and cut the score in half at 2-1.
The Trojans got the run back in their next turn at bat on a Brown RBI single that plated Matt Baird, who was on after opening the inning with a walk.
“Clint threw his heart out for us today,” Coleman said. “He started strong for us and he finished strong. Now we have to find a way as a team to come back and get a win next week against West Branch.”
Brown complemented his throwing by going 3-for-4 at the plate with one RBI. Soellner had two hits to lead Tyrone.
DIAMOND NOTES: Wilson retired the side in order twice, including a strong first inning when he struck out the side … Jeremy Myers stole two bases for Tyrone as a courtesy runner … Tyrone’s six through nine hitters went 0-for-10 with five strikeouts … the Eagles play West Branch on the road on Monday.
Mount Union 3 Tyrone 1
TYRONE – Mertiff, 2b, 1-0-0; Gummo, ss, 4-0-1; Mingle, rf, 2-1-0; Wilson, p, 3-0-0; Soellner, c, 3-0-2; Myers, cr, 0-0-0; Gillmen, 3b, 2-0-0; Maceno, lf, 3-0-0; Stottler, 1b, 2-0-0; Levinson, pr, 0-0-0; Clark, cf, 3-0-0. TOTALS: 23-1-3.
MOUNT UNION – Martinez, 1b, 2-0-0; Brown, p-rf, 4-1-3; J. McConaughey, cr, 0-1-0; N. McConaughey, rf, 0-0-0; Colt, p, 0-0-0; McVey, dh, 2-0-0; Hoffmaster, ss, 2-1-1; Yocum, c, 2-0-0; Pollicino, 2b, 3-0-1; Baird, lf, 2-1-1; Donaldson, 3b, 2-0-0; Atherton, cf, 3-0-0. TOTALS: 22-3-5
TYRONE 000 001 0 – 1-3-1
MOUNT UNION 011 001 X – 3-6-0
2B: Pollicino
RBI: Pollicino, Hoffmaster, Brown, Soellner
SB: Myers 2, Mertiff
WP: Brown LP: Wilson Save: Colt
