Jayce Tharnish (Kentucky) had a day to remember as Y-D completed a Division Series sweep over Orleans on Wednesday, collecting four hits, three runs scored and two RBIs on the way to a 9-2 victory.
Tharnish was the leading force for the Y-D offense throughout the entire series against the Firebirds, as he went 6-10 with four runs and three RBIs across the two games. Dating back to the regular season, Tharnish has racked up four consecutive multi-hit games with a whopping .579 batting average during that stretch.
“The mindset shifted from trying to swing hard to staying back and staying loose,” Tharnish said. “It’s been helping significantly just with line drives up the middle and base knocks with runners in scoring position.”
Following a scoreless first inning from Michael Malki (Cal Baptist) on the mound for Y-D, Tharnish got things started right away once again on Wednesday by jumping on a first-pitch fastball from JT Raab (Georgetown) and lining a base hit to the opposite field.
The single marked the second straight game where Tharnish led off the first frame with a hit, and both resulted in runs scored after Chris Hacopian (Texas A&M) drove him in with an RBI single to put Y-D ahead 1-0 on Wednesday.
“It’s huge to get ahead, especially at the start of the game,” Tharnish said. “It’s the same mindset as yesterday’s game; just swinging the bat if I see a pitch in the zone. When I saw a 0-0 fastball, I just put the bat on it and wasn't trying to do too much.”
With Y-D still leading 1-0, Tharnish got another rally started in the third inning when he led off the frame by scorching a 3-2 changeup into right field for his second single of the day. Tharnish’s hit sparked a three-run inning to give Y-D some breathing room, as he came around to score on an RBI single from Armando Briseño (Cal State Fullerton), and two more runs were added on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Niedzwiedz (Southern Illinois-Edwardsville) and a run-scoring single from Jack Bell (TCU).
As he’s been doing throughout the season, Tharnish made an impact with his speed with one out in the fourth inning when he beat out a grounder to Elijah Ickes (Hawaii) at shortstop for an infield single. His hustle got the Y-D offense going for the second straight inning, as he scored his third run of the day on a two-run double down the left field line by Niedzwiedz to give Y-D a commanding 6-0 advantage.
Tharnish's recent hot stretch has coincided with him being moved to the leadoff spot in the Y-D lineup on August 1, with a five-game hitting streak and seven runs scored since that point. This is not a role that Tharnish is unfamiliar with, as he led off at St. Bonaventure this past season, where he had a whopping .403 batting average and a .461 on-base percentage.
“I feel grateful to be in this [leadoff] role,” Tharnish said. “Back at St. Bonaventure, I had the same role, so I’ve been prepared for it. I’m just happy things have been going the way I want them to.”
After Orleans got a couple of runs back in the fifth inning, Tharnish had a chance to put the game away in the seventh inning when he came to the plate with runners at second and third against Kai Leckszas (Georgetown). Tharnish delivered the crucial two-out hit, looping a breaking ball into center field for a two-run single to make it 8-2 Y-D.
Tharnish capped off his huge day by causing a little more chaos with his wheels, as he swiped second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by Robbie Lavey (George Washington) behind the plate. Tharnish has had opposing defenses on edge throughout the past week, with five steals in his last seven games.
Thanks to Tharnish’s contributions all afternoon, Y-D cruised to the 9-2 Game 2 win to eliminate the top seed in the East Division from the postseason. Y-D will now get an off day before playing in the League Championship Series for the second straight year against either Brewster or Harwich.
“It’s definitely huge being able to do damage yesterday as a team, then to be able to do the same exact thing, if not more, as an offense is a big momentum shift for us,” Tharnish said. “I’m just happy that we’re able to carry this into the next series.”
Following the off day on Thursday, Tharnish and the rest of Y-D will look to keep the momentum rolling when they travel to face Harwich or Brewster in the opening game of the League Championship Series on Friday.
