photo by: Kim North

Wheeling Park catcher Nolan Yanchak shows home plate umpire Bob Montgomery, not pictured, the ball after he tagged East Liverpool’s Trent Davis in the top of the sixth inning Monday. Davis tried to score from third on an infield grounder but was thrown out. Wheeling Park won, 7-0.

WHEELING – While most high school baseball teams were either practicing indoors somewhere Monday or trying to get their fields playable for later in the week, or both, Wheeling Park continued to churn out baseball victories.

The Patriots (9-4) stretched their winning streak to seven games as three pitchers scattered half-a-dozen hits in a 7-0 whitewashing of visiting East Liverpool on the artificial surface at Patriot Field high atop the Friendly City.

Wheeling Park was coming off a very successful weekend down south that saw it go 4-0 and outscore its opponents 70-8.

“We got good pitching, timely hitting, played solid defense and executed the fundamentals of the game,” Wheeling Park head coach Steve Myers said. “We got the bunts down when we had to, ran the bases well and took advantage of their mistakes.”

Starter Ryland Robb went five innings, striking out six, walking a pair and allowing four hits. He earned the win and threw 86 pitches, of which 52 were strikes. He was followed to the hill by senior Travis Gump. He got out of a jam when third baseman Brayden Kupsky threw a Potter runner out at the plate for the second out in the sixth. Then, after the visitors (1-2) re-loaded the bases, Gump caught the next batter looking at strike three to end the inning.

Junior Coldin Burkhart worked the seventh, also loading the bases before inducing a game-ending grounder to Kupsky at third who threw across the diamond to first baseman Rocco DiGiandomenico for the final out.

The trio of righties combined for 140 pitches, with 79 strikes. They threw a first-pitch strike to 25 of 33 batters, led by Robb who went 0-1 on 17 of the 21 batters he faced.

“Our starting pitcher was really good today. Then, the two guys that came in (in relief) were sharp in their roles,” Myers said. “Ryland had a very good start. Travis did a good job in that bridge role and Coltin came in and stayed focused.”

The Patriots scored what turned out to be the game-winning run in the bottom of the first. Jared Marsh drew a leadoff walk, stole second and raced home on Nate Bittinger’s solid single to right.

Thanks to a pair of Potter errors in the bottom of the fourth, the margin grew to 4-0 as Rocco DiGiandomenico and Robb scored on errors and courtesy runner Jed Hunley crossed the plate on Paul McGee’s sacrifice fly to center.

East Liverpool threatened in the top of the fifth when Jake Smith doubled off the fence in center and Kasen Ramsey singled sharply to right as Smith had to hold at third. Robb struck out the next batter swinging to keep the shutout intact.

Robb’s fielder’s choice grounder in the fifth allowed Nate Simon to score for a 5-0 reading.

The winners capped the scoring in the sixth as Bittinger tripled home Marsh and then scored on an error.

Marsh was on base all four times he went to the plate with three walks and a single. He stole two bases and scored twice. Bittinger had half of the Patriots’ four hits.

After an off day today, the Patriots head to Glen Dale on Wednesday for a Region I battle with John Marshall. The first pitch is set for 5 p.m.