Mustangs lead Falcons in suspended game
REPUBLIC 鈥� The high school baseball season hasn鈥檛 been kind to Laurel Highlands or Brownsville but the thought heading into Monday蘑菇视频 non-section game between the two teams at Doug Dascenzo Field was that at least one would secure their second win of the season.
Neither did however.
It蘑菇视频 been that kind of year for the Mustangs and Falcons.
Laurel Highlands scored three runs in the second inning and went on to take a 4-0 lead but the game was suspended after four innings due to a steady rain.
The two will try to finish the game later in the week although that depends on the weather and Brownsville蘑菇视频 schedule which finishes up with games at Beth-Center on Thursday and back at Dascenzo Field against Uniontown on Friday.
Both teams picked up their first wins of the season recently. The Mustangs (1-14) won at McGuffey, 13-2, on April 25 and the Falcons (1-13), under coach Skooter Roebuck who recently announced he鈥檒l be retiring from Brownsville at the end of the school year, defeated visiting California, 8-1, on May 3.
鈥淭hese kind of years can happen from time to time,鈥� Laurel Highlands coach Brad Yohman said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e turned over a lot of guys but we鈥檙e getting a lot of new guys a lot of work. Everyday you just show up, go to work and try to get a little bit better. That蘑菇视频 all you can do.
鈥淚鈥檝e been happy with the work the guys have been putting in regardless of the record. We just keep pushing them, keep working on things. It蘑菇视频 just unfortunate we鈥檙e running out of season.鈥�
Yohman has seen progress as the season has gone on.
鈥淲e played really well against Blackhawk on Saturday (3-2 loss),鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were in the games with Uniontown, we were in the games with Belle Vernon for the most part.鈥�
In Monday蘑菇视频 game, Laurel Highlands starting pitcher Jack Johns pitched four scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk with three strikeouts, and Brody Kutchman and Ethan Koffler delivered RBI singles.
鈥淚 was real proud of what Jack Johns did for us today,鈥� Yohman said of his lefthander. 鈥淛ack蘑菇视频 a sophomore and he蘑菇视频 really stepped up. He蘑菇视频 thrown some really good innings for us in the second half of the season. He蘑菇视频 got a good pitch mix and I thought he did a really good job. Even in the rain he was in the zone, still getting guys out.鈥�
Johns allowed singles to Gene Thorpe, Ben Vojacek, Harlan Davis and Johnathan Vasbinder.
Thorpe tossed all four innings for the Falcons. He allowed just one earned run on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Andrew Gallick started Laurel Highlands鈥� second-inning rally with a double to left field. He took third on an infield error and scored on Kutchman蘑菇视频 single. Koffler followed with a walk with Kutchman eventually scoring on a wild pitch and Koffler coming home on Noah Lion蘑菇视频 ground out.
The Mustangs tacked on a run in the fourth when Connor D鈥橝mico reached on an error, stole second and scored on Koffler蘑菇视频 single to center.
Brownsville蘑菇视频 best threat came in the bottom of the fourth when Thorpe reached on right fielder Nick Fleszar蘑菇视频 error and Vasbinder got on with an infield hit. Fleszar made up for his miscue when he raced in to grab Vojacek蘑菇视频 looping liner and threw to second base to double up Thorpe. Catcher Parker Hoff then threw out Vasbinder trying to steal third.
The game was stopped by the umpires at that point.
Yohman, who had only three seniors in the starting lineup, pointed out the Mustangs have used many underclassmen this season.
鈥淵ou try to prepare some of the guys that are kind of younger, maybe try to break through some of the inexperience,鈥� Yohman said. 鈥淎 lot of these guys had to go right into varsity ball, not having the chance to come in and maybe acclimate through JV levels.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 a challenge for them but I think we鈥檙e learning, we鈥檙e getting better. We鈥檝e been in a lot of games. Some of the scores aren鈥檛 indicative of what we are as a team. Some games have gotten away from us late. But today I thought we played well.鈥�