photo by: Kim North

Wheeling Park’s Eric Blazier follows through after delivering a pitch to the plate Thursday against Weir at Patriot Field. Blazier came on in relief of injured starter Brody Groome and picked up his first varsity win as the Patriots won 13-3 in five innings.

WHEELING – Even though the game time temperature hovered around the 50-degree mark, Wheeling Park remained red hot in high school baseball action.

The Patriots (11-1) collected 11 base hits – eight by the bottom of the order – which was enough for Eric Blazier in a 13-3 conquest of visiting Weir (4-7) in a game halted in the bottom of the fifth due to the 10-run mercy rule. It was their sixth consecutive triumph.

Blazier, just a sophomore, was forced into action in the top of the first when classmate Brody Groome injured his right hand after colliding with Weir’s Teddy Glyptis and tumbling to the artificial surface after making an outstanding catch on a foul pop up.

“Eric did a fantastic job of coming in cold like that,” Wheeling Park head coach Steve Myers said. “I feel bad for Brody because I know he was really looking forward to pitching this game.

“It was an odd circumstance, but Eric stepped right in and did the job.”

Blazier struck out four, walked one and yielded three base hits in three-plus innings of work. He threw 44 pitches, of which 28 went for strikes.

“Honestly, I just tried to warm up my legs as fast as possible to try and get ready,” Blazier explained. “I was cold. I’m just glad I got warm as quick as I did. Our offense definitely had my back.”

The win was Blazier’s first in varsity competition.

“It feels good,” he said with a huge smile.

Deadlocked at 1 entering the bottom of the third, the Patriots, who entered the week ranked No. 2 in W.Va. Class AAA, tallied three times and never looked back in taking a 4-1 advantage.

Miles Gorby, the No. 9 batter in the order, supplied all the offense with a bases-clearing double to the fence in left-center with one out.

Wheeling Park broke the game wide open in the fourth when it sent 12 batters to the plate, with eight scoring runs for a 12-1 bulge. Nolan Yanchak, the No. 6 hitter, and Noah Short, the No. 7 batter, each singled twice in the outburst, with Short driving in two runs. Jaxon Updegraff added a two-run single; Nate Simon belted a run-scoring double; and Ryland Robb tripled in two more. Rocco Digiandomneico walked with the bases loaded top force in a run.

The short-handed Red Riders, who lost for the fourth straight game, scored twice in the top of the fifth as Jonathan Horstman and Aleks Zanieski each singled in a run. Horstman drove in Liam Williamson and Zanieski knocked in Conner Lancaster who had a pinch-hit double. Zanieski finished with two singles and Colson Kimmel had a double.

Gorby led off the bottom of the fifth with his second two-bagger of the game, a shot that hugged the left field foul line. He went to third when Kolton Whitmire grounded out and raced home when the first pitch to Updegraff skipped to the backstop.

“That’s the kids’ mentality … just keep playing the game no matter what the situation is,” Myers noted. “They play for each other.”

“Wheeling Park is a really good team. They are certainly well-coached,” Weir head coach David Cowden said. “They put the ball in play. We’re without a few players today, but that’s no excuse.”

Yanchak and Short each singled thrice. Updegraff, just a freshman, ended with four runs batted in.

“That’s kind of what we talked about yesterday (Wednesday). We’ve got a lot of interchangeable parts,” Myers said. “One day it’s the top of the lineup. The next day it’s the middle. Today it was the bottom, but we value all the guys the same way.”

The 10-run victory was the Patriots second in two nights as they defeated John Marshall by the same score on Wednesday.

Wheeling Park will compete in the Mon Valley Classic today as it plays Bridgeport, W.Va., at 3 p.m. and GVSC Broadbanding Academy at 5:30. Both games will be played at Dale Miller Field in Mylan Park.