Wheeling Park Baseball Routs St. Clairsville, 11-1
Salvatori, Thomas have big bats in 11-1 Patriots win
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WHEELING -- On his first time through the Wheeling Park batting order, St. Clairsville sophomore starter Tyler Tonkovich allowed just a pair of singles and no runs through two innings.
However, the Patriots' hard-hitting lineup was more than up to the task of facing Tonkovich the ensuing two frames with 15 hitters reaching base, and 11 scoring, for Coach Steve Myers' squad.
James Salvatori and Trevor Thomas each collected three hits and Ryan Hummel fired his second straight complete game as Wheeling Park rolled to an impressive 11-1, five-inning, victory over the Red Devils at windy Patriot Field.
While Coach Tom Sliva's St. St. Clairsville (6-5) squad pushed across the game's first run in the second inning, the Devils also had a runner at third with one out in the first and runners at second and third with one away in the third inning without scoring any runs.
Jacob Jarvis led off the second with a base hit for the visitors and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Jarvis scored to make it 1-0 when Will Balgo pushed a run-scoring single through the right side of the infield.
"It may sound funny in an 11-1 game, but if we just make a couple of plays and get a hit or two early in the game, we might have been up at least 3-0 without even hitting the ball," Sliva said.
It was still 1-0 Red Devils heading for the bottom of the third with the top of the Patriots' order due up. Jacob Shia got things going with a single before Nolan Mattern reached on a fielder's choice, with Shia being thrown out.
That led to singles from Thomas and Ben Taylor before Bryce Bauer's bloop single down the right field line brought a pair home for a 2-1 Wheeling Park lead. Brock Archer was then hit by a pitch before Salvatori brought home two more with a double into the left-center field gap.
Isaac Hines made it a 5-1 score with a fielder's choice before St. Clairsville finally got out of the frame having seen 10 batters, allowing five hits and five runs.
A quick six pitching inning from Hummel brought the Park (9-4) back to the plate looking for more in the fourth and the hosts managed to do themselves one better than they did in the third.
The first four hitters all reached base on a pair of singles, and error and a hit-batsman that allowed Bauer to pick up another RBI. After Archer made it 7-1 with a sacrifice fly Salvatori ripped a two-run triple into the right-center field gap. Hines brought Salvatori home with a base hit and with two outs Mattern brought home the 11th tally with a fielder's choice that gave the hosts a 10-run advantage.
"Our guys do a good job of adjusting at the plate and after the first time through the lineup (Tuesday) we caught fire," Myers said. "The kids stuck to the game plan and we started pounding the ball.
"Salvatori really hit the ball hard. And our outfield always works hard and does a great job. This is not always the easiest place to play the outfield but those kids stuck with it out there (Tuesday) and made some big plays.
"Ryan Hummel has really been on his last two games with a pair of complete games. He has embraced his role and the guys have rallied behind him on the mound.
"St. Clairsville is a great program and always has a good team so this is a nice home win for us and a really nice way to start our week."
Hummell fanned three and walked one while allowing five hits in picking up a victory.
"We are not doing some things very well right now and we need to break out of things," Sliva said. "There was a real chance to put them in a hole and we just couldn't get it done.
"It's frustrating. We don't make a play here or there and things start going against us and snowballing and this is what ends up happening."