Central’s Lukas Black hit in the winning run with bases loaded in the 7th inning to give the Dragons a 6-5 comeback win over the Tyrone Golden Eagles on Wednesday, April 9th, despite the Eagles’ 5-0 lead going into the 5th inning.
The Golden Eagles started the game hot, taking a commanding 5-0 lead through the first two innings of play thanks to strong batting performances and sophomore Carter Price delivering a solid start from the mound.
Ashton Walk started the game off with a lead-off triple, setting the tone for the Eagles’ aggressive offense.
Tyrone capitalized on Central’s early defensive errors with an attempted steal from Landon Hamer and a throwing error, scoring Walk and advancing Hamer to third base.
Owen Oakes then drove in Hamer the next at bat, giving the Eagles a 2-0 lead and momentum going into the second inning.
Price shut down the Dragons in the first inning and the Eagles were looking to extend their lead in the second inning.
Taking advantage of errors and opportunistic plays once again, Jon Stroup was able to drive in a run.
Brayden Parsons also added to the lead with a clutch two-run single in the second inning to cap the inning.
There was no scoring production from either team in the third and fourth innings despite multiple hits, walks, and hit by pitches.
It wasn’t until the bottom of the fifth inning that Central began to mount their late comeback, fueled by Lukas Black’s walk-off single and Mason Byler relieving Harbaugh from pitching duties and shutting down the Eagles’ offense.
The Golden Eagles showed flashes of brilliance but struggled to maintain their early momentum.
Thanks to Price’s strong start on the mound for the Golden Eagles, Central’s lineup was kept in check for much of the game. However, Tyrone struggled to maintain their momentum, managing just four baserunners after the second inning and encountering challenges with base running that allowed Central to claw back into contention.
Coach Kevin Sollener acknowledged these areas for improvement to the Altoona Mirror, citing errors late in the game and missed opportunities with two runners getting out on the base paths as the key factors to the loss.
“We had too many errors. We’re plunking them. We can’t run the bases. I don’t even know what to do. I’m at a loss,” Coach Sollener told the Altoona Mirror.
However, Sollener remained optimistic about the team’s potential, highlighting their ability to compete against powerhouses like Central as the team’s consistency at the plate has improved from recent games.
“I felt better about our bats today as a whole. There are things there to build off of. It’s nice to know we could have had this game if we played to our potential. We gave them a lot of opportunities to come back. We put ourselves in a position to win, we just have to handle the pressure,” said Coach Sollener.
With seven seniors leading the roster and promising contributions from young talent, Tyrone is poised to bounce back in upcoming games. Their participation in the Curve Classic this weekend offers another chance to showcase their talent and get back on a win streak.
Although Wednesday marked the third loss in a row for the Eagles, their early-season performances indicate that this team has the tools, if executed properly, to make a strong push as the season progresses.
BOX SCORE:
TYRONE (5): Walk ss 411, Parsons cf 401, Hamer c 210, Oakes rf 301, Miller rf 000, Price p 000, Woomer p 000, Seeger p 000, Stroup dh 210, Jones dh 101, Zupon 3b 300, C. McClure 1b 301, B. McClure 2b 110, Shirey lf 311. Totals — 26-5-6.
CENTRAL (6): Black ss 311, Dilling 3b 422, Hoenstine 2b 411, Klotz c 300, Robison cr 000, Harbaugh p 000, Sparks 1b 000, McNichol dh 312, Muthler lf 310, Byler 1b-p 200, Beltz rf 200, Loucks cf 402. Totals — 28-6-8.
SCORE BY INNINGS
Tyrone 320 000 0–5 6 2
Central 000 031 2–6 8 4
E–Zupon, Walk, Klotz 2, Black, Hoenstine. 2B–Dilling 2. 3B–Walk. RBI–Parsons 2, Oakes, Hoenstine 2, Black, McNichol, Beltz.
PITCHING
Tyrone: Price–5IP, 4H, 3K, 1BB, 4HBP, 3R, 2ER, 83 pitches; Woomer (L)–1IP, 2H, 0K, 1BB, 1HBP, 3R, 3ER, 29 pitches; Seeger–1/3 IP, 2H, 0K, 0BB, 1HBP, 0R, 0ER, 8 pitches.
Central: Harbaugh–3IP, 4H, 2K, 2BB, 5R, 3ER, 55 pitches; Byler (W)–4IP, 2H, 1K, 0BB, 0R, 0ER, 41 pitches.
Umpires: Matt Cursio (HP); Bill Wolf (bases).
Records: Tyrone (5-3); Central (5-1).
