photo by: Kim North

Brooke catcher Aidan Provenzao applies the tag to Wheeling Park pinch runner Bodie Cox for an out in the top of the seventh inning Thursday. The Bruins’ Zac O’Meary rifled a strike from right field to nail Cox with the second out in a 1-0 victory.

WELLSBURG – If Thursday’s Wheeling Park at Brooke high school baseball is any indication of what is to come this spring, fans are going to be treated to some exciting action.

The host Bruins debuted with a 1-0 victory over the Patriots by using good pitching, a timely hit and an all-around effort from senior Zac O’Meary.

“It certainly doesn’t feel like March 19. It was a beautiful day and that baseball game was just as beautiful,” Brooke head coach Doug Costain said. “Andrew Murdock pitched an unbelievable game, we got a close-out inning from Niko Palavis and Zac O’Meary played outstanding. He made three or four big plays tonight.

“I’m proud of our kids today, but this is only one step in the journey,” Costain stressed.

Brooke scored in its first at-bat against Wheeling Park sophomore Jaxon Updegraff, who probably deserved a better fate with six strikeouts, a walk and two hits allowed in three innings. He threw 52 pitches, 31 of which were strikes.

After Updegraff struck out the first Bruin he faced, O’Meary drew a full count walk. With two outs, O’Meary stole second and raced home when Aidan Provenzano drilled a solid single to center on a 1-0 pitch.

Brooke wouldn’t get another runner to third until the sixth O’Meary lined a leadoff double over the centerfielder’s head. He went to third when Andrew Murdock laid down a perfect bunt. However, an around-the-horn double-play (5-4-3) and a groundout allowed the Patriots to escape unscathed.

Murdock picked up the win on the hill with five Ks and a base-on-balls. The left-handed West Liberty signee faced the minimum number of Patriots through the first three frames. He allowed a one-out single by Braydon Bartsch in the second but picked him off to end the inning.

O’Meary came up big defensively twice in the final two innings. Wheeling Park loaded the bases on a pair of Brooke errors and an intentional walk with two outs. Bartsch lofted a fly ball along the line in right that O’Meary ran down in foul territory before crashing into the fence.

Reliever Niko Palavis took over for Murdock, who threw 67 pitches – 49 strikes – to start the seventh. An error and infield single with one out left Patriot runners at first and second. O’Meary saved the day – and game – when he fielded a sharp single off the bat of Rylan Moore and rifled a strike to Provenzano at the plate to nail pinch-runner Bodie Cox. Palavis, who earned the save, struck out the next batter to end the game.

“For March 19, it was a pretty good season-opener,” Wheeling Park Chad Stout, making his return to the third base coaching box, said. “We had our opportunities, we just didn’t capitalize on them. If we get a couple of bunts down maybe things change there, but that’s baseball.”

Murdock struck out five and walked one – intentionally – while Palavis recorded the game-ending punchout. The pair yielded five singles.

“For mid-March, I thought all four pitchers that pitched did a really good job,” Stout added. “The Murdock kid threw really well. He moved the ball in-and-out, changed speeds and had a little spin on his pitches.

“We’ll move on. I like our guys, and it’s just March 19.”

Brooke is back in action tonight at Oak Glen.