Bulldogs blast the Seals
By KIM MOERSCHBACHER — kim@lockhaven.comArticle Photos
Andy Welsh didn’t know he was going to step up to the plate and put an assault on several heaves from Selinsgrove pitcher Paul Eyster.
But he did. And he wasn’t the only one.
Welsh had a 2-for-3 day with a home run, double and five RBI, and all but one of his teammates had a hit in a 13-1, six-inning victory over Selinsgrove Wednesday.
The win moves Shore into first place in the Susquehanna Valley League over Selinsgrove, which is tied with Montoursville for the second spot.
Shore, coming off a 3-2 loss to Mifflinburg Monday, needed to extract some revenge. There was no better team than the Seals, who handed Shore its first loss of the season.
“We knew that it was a rough loss (to Mifflinburg) and that we had to bounce back from it. We did what we had to do,” Welsh said. “It was a team effort. I just happened to have a good day. That’s kind of the way it works with this team.”
Shore (14-2) brought the bats early and often, and Selinsgrove never had an answer. In all, the Lycoming County team scattered 13 hits around each side of the diamond.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first frame off a bases-clearing double by Welsh, adding to a one-run advantage after Kyle Miller drove in the team’s first penny of the game.
Miller had a solid day, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a solo home run. Shore also had another long ball off the bat of Jake Potter, which plated three runs and ended the game in six innings.
“It’s been that way all year,” Shore head coach Shawn Weaver said. “These guys take a great approach to the plate. They don’t swing at bad pitches and they stay disciplined. That has worked to our advantage all year. Very rarely do we miss when we are up to the plate. It’s just nice to see us be able to get the runs like we did (today).
“You never expect to get that 10-run rule. You just come out and expect to play well and hit the fundamentals. Some days, you come out and hit the ball and you hit them right at guys, and that’s all you can do. Monday was one of those days. Baseball is a funny game that way. You don’t ever expect it, but I know we have a lot of potential.”
Selinsgrove (13-3) got a trio of hits in the first three innings off Shore starter Miller, but was held hitless after that.
Nick Gaugler ripped a double in the first and a single in the third, while Ryan Keiser accounted for the other baseknock.
Gaugler’s hit in the third plated Keiser for the Seals’ only run.
Brett Beiler knew that one run off three hits wasn’t going to be enough for his Seals. His hope was to get up early, but his plans were foiled as Miller struck out three of the four batters he saw in the first frame.
“We wanted to try and get on the board as soon as possible and try to use that to our advantage, but that didn’t work that way in the first inning,” the Selinsgrove head coach said. “That was certainly something we were looking for there, but we didn’t push a run across. They got the four runs on the board there right away, and it was tough to rebound from that.
“We have a couple guys hurt, and we had to put a guy in at third that has never played there before. We lost a couple guys to injuries, and then I had a guy who didn’t even come to school (today). We were certainly short-handed. We knew they could hit the ball. They are a very good hitting team, and Paul certainly didn’t have his best game.”
Both starting pitchers were pulled in the game. Miller was relieved in the sixth by Ben Saar, while Eyster was replaced by Kevin Robinson.
Saar only worked one frame and faced three batters, while Robinson found himself in a world of trouble in both innings he was on the mound.
Shore put two runs on the scoreboard when Welsh sliced a home run to center field, adding to his already solid day at the plate.
With a 8-1 advantage and the top of the lineup up to bat in the sixth, the Bulldogs started a hitting assault that drove in the game-ending runs.
“Our approach is the same all the time. We try to work the count to our advantage and get the pitches early in the count,” Weaver said. “We try to work that to perfection. Andy had a 1-0 count and he got that fastball and he didn’t miss it. That’s what hitting is all about.
“Anytime you come off a loss like that coming into a huge week, it’s tough. We certainly didn’t look past Mifflinburg, but these guys have had this date circled on their calendar for a while because they beat us the first time. They were really focused (today). Monday, we made some fundamental mistakes that we haven’t made all year. I think the guys realized that you can’t make those mistakes and beat teams. (Today), we came out and did things we had to do and jumped on them early, which is what we talked about. We just got on them and put the pressure on them so we could be more relaxed and work with base runners and try some things. It puts them on the defensive right away.”
Derek Smith, Lance White, Kasey Kemmerer, Miller and Potter all roped hits in the last inning, and each one crossed the dish to secure the victory.
With the season winding down, Shore will travel to Montoursville Friday for its next contest.
SVL baseball
JERSEY SHORE 13, SELINSGROVE 1, 6 innings
S 001 000 — 1 3 0
J 401 125 — 13 13 0
S: Eyster, Robinson (5) and Rovenolt. J: Miller, Saar (6) and Wrench. WP — Miller. LP — Eyster. HR: J, Welsh, Miller, J. Potter. 2B: J, Welsh. S, Gaugler. MH: J, Miller 3, Smith 2, White 2, Welsh 2. S: Gaugler. Records: J 14-2; S 13-3.
