Y-D got its postseason started with a bang by scoring two runs in the first inning on its way to a 4-1 win against Orleans in the opening game of the Division Series at Eldredge Park on Tuesday.
Orleans and Y-D entered the postseason heading in opposite directions, with Orleans winning seven of its final eight regular season games to earn the President’s Trophy and Y-D dropping six of its last eight; however, Y-D proved on Tuesday that the playoffs represent a clean slate.
Jayce Tharnish (Kentucky) got things started for Y-D against Jake Bean (Louisville) by grounding a fastball up the middle for a base hit on the second pitch of the game. An error by Dawson Bryce (Charlotte) at third base and a five-pitch walk to Ryan Niedzwiedz (Southern Illinois-Edwardsville) quickly loaded the bases for Y-D before Bean could record an out.
After Chris Hacopian (Texas A&M) lined out, Elijah Ickes (Hawaii) made a throwing error trying to complete a double play on a chopper from Jordan Crossland (Maryland), which brought in two runs to give Y-D an early 2-0 lead.
“Probably the most important part of the game is how you come out and how you compete after the first pitch,” Tharnish said. “Being able to put two runs up in the first inning gave us that comfort we needed.”
Already pitching with a lead, Brady Hamilton (Wichita State) toed the rubber for Y-D in the bottom half of the first. Hamilton was the ace for Y-D during the regular season, pitching to a 1.48 ERA in seven starts, which was the fourth-lowest among qualified pitchers on the Cape. He picked up right where he left off in the regular season when he tossed a scoreless first frame with a strikeout.
Y-D continued to put pressure on Bean in the second inning when Connor Capece (Creighton) drew a seven-pitch walk and Jack Bell (TCU) scorched a changeup into right field for a base hit to put runners at the corners with one out. Tharnish hit a grounder to Ickes at shortstop, who tried to turn a 6-4-3 double play, but Tharnish beat out the throw at first base to bring in Capece and put Y-D ahead 3-0.
“I think my speed is my biggest attribute,” Tharnish said. “Especially on those balls hit in the infield when you’re just trying to do a job, just advance the run home from third base, not trying to do too much, and trusting my speed is a big part of my game.”
Orleans got on the board against Hamilton with two outs in the third inning, as Landon Hairston (Arizona State) drove an 0-2 sinker just over the wall in right field for a solo blast to cut Y-D’s lead to 3-1.
Following another strong inning from Hamilton in the fourth, the offense went back to work against Bean in the fifth when Niedzwiedz and Hacopian lined back-to-back hits to put runners at second and third with no outs. Niedzwiedz was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a wild pitch, but Hacopian was able to beat out a throw to home on a grounder to second from Crossland to make it 4-1 Y-D.
Billy Morris (D’Youville) entered the game on the mound for Orleans in the sixth inning and got two quick outs before Armando Briseño (Cal State Fullerton) roped a first-pitch changeup off the wall in right field for a double. Morris worked out of the jam by getting Niedzwiedz to pop out in foul territory to end the inning.
Hamilton capped off his stellar outing by getting Ickes to swing and miss at a 91 mph sinker for his fifth strikeout of the night to lead off the sixth inning. Hamilton’s 5 1/3 innings pitched marked the longest outing of his summer, as he allowed just one earned run and four hits. Ryder Brooks (UC Irvine) came into the game for Y-D and immediately surrendered back-to-back hits to put runners at the corners.
Brooks found a way to escape the jam still holding Y-D’s three-run lead, as he caught Robbie Lavey (George Washington) looking at a fastball on the outside corner and got Michael Crossland (UC San Diego) to ground out to third base for the final out.
Both Morris and Brooks tossed 1-2-3 innings in the seventh, which was the first time all night that either team was set down in order.
Brooks hit Hairston with a pitch to begin the eighth inning, causing Y-D manager Scott Pickler to bring in Tyler Pitzer (Mississippi State) out of his bullpen for a six-out save. Pitzer led all qualified pitchers on the Cape during the regular season with an unbelievable 0.34 ERA in eight appearances. As he did the entire season, Pitzer got the job done when he retired three consecutive hitters with the help of an impressive backhanded play by Hacopian at third base to end the inning.
“All three of [Hamilton, Brooks and Pitzer] are dogs,” Tharnish said. “I feel so comfortable out in center field just knowing that they’re on the mound competing, and they know that they’re able to pitch to anyone.”
Morris continued to hold the Y-D bats quiet out of the Orleans bullpen, working another clean frame in the ninth to give him four scoreless innings with only two hits and no walks allowed.
Lavey battled with Pitzer for nine pitches to begin the bottom of the ninth before grounding out to second base. After Pitzer hit Kai Wagner (Northern Colorado), Javar Williams (Wake Forest) hit a cutter down the third base line for a double to bring the tying run to the plate with one out.
Pitzer buckled down by striking out Tyler Myatt (Tennessee) with a 3-2 cutter and getting Alejandro Garza (Cal Poly) to fly out to Tarnish in center field, capping off the wire-to-wire 4-1 win for Y-D.
“Rolling into [the] playoffs, we had a little bit of a losing streak,” Tharnish said. “But to get back into the win column now is a huge momentum shift, and I’m sure we’ll be able to keep that momentum going.”
The Firebirds had their chances to make a comeback; however, they left 10 runners on base and were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Fielding woes were also costly for Orleans, as the team committed four errors throughout the contest.
Y-D will look to clinch the Division Series in front of its home crowd when it welcomes Orleans to Red Wilson Field for Game 2 at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
