Linlsy tops Brooke in season opener
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WHEELING -- It may have been the season opener for both Brooke and Linsly on Thursday, but both starting pitchers were in mid-season form.
The Bruins' Henry Anderson and the Cadets' Tucker Doty each pitched well enough to win, but neither figured in the decision in a 7-1 victory by the host Cadets at Holloway Field.
"Tucker did great tonight for a sophomore starting the opener. That was a tough spot to put him in, but he did super," veteran Linsly head coach Jay Cartwright said.
Doty finished with three strikeouts, two walks and gave up just five hits in five innings of work.
In the other dugout, Anderson fanned six, issued three free passes, gave up just two hits and one earned run.
"Henry pitched a heck of a game. He did a great job for us," first-year Brooke head coach Doug Costain said. "Early in the season it's all about the pitch count, so we knew we had 50-55 pitches in him.
"Although you want to win every game, it's early," he added. "He did a super job for us."
The Cadet scored first when Jaxon Murray drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first. Carson Gessler bunted him to second and Andrew Skadra's seeing-eye single up the middle drove Murray in.
The game stayed that way until the Bruins drew even in the top of the sixth. Garret Hornick reached on an error leading off and was replaced on the basepaths by courtesy runner Gavin Moore. A balk on reliever Rocco Paolina moved Moore to second and with two outs, left-handed hitting Owen Petrella sliced a base hit between third and short to tie the game.
The inning could have been bigger if not for a circus catch by Linsly center fielder Chris Upton on a drive by Breylan Sperringer with no outs.
However, Linsly struck for six runs in the bottom of the inning as 10 Cadets went to the plate. Skadra had a two-run single as did Nate Berhalter. Kyle White singled in a run and the other scored on an errant throw.
"We finally put something together there in the sixth, but we've got to get more aggressive at the plate late in the count," Cartwright stressed. "We looked at a strike three five times. Four of those ended an inning and three or four were with runners in scoring position. We've got to swing the bat."
Skadra led the winners' seven-hit attack with two singles and a double. He finished with three runs batted in.
Anthony Bachinski had three of Brooke's seven hits -- two singles and a double. Raymond DeFranco singled and doubled.
"It's funny because I'm a first-year coach. Coming in I heard about how Brooke hits and hits and hits.," Costain noted. "Today was more about our approach at the plate and not the result at the plate. That's what we just talked about. We need to have a plan when we step into the batter's box. We'll get there."
Paolina picked up the win in relief. The lefty fanned three and didn't walk a batter.
Hornick took the loss.
Linsly 7, Brooke 1
Brooke 000 001 0 - 1 7 1
Linsly 100 006 x - 7 7 2
B-Anderson (6K, 3BB), Hornick lp (4), (2K, 3BB), Murdock (6), (0K, 1BB) and Provenzano; DeFranco S, D, Bachinski 2S, D; Petrella S, rbi
L-Doty (3K, 2BB), Paolina wp (6), (3K, 0BB) and Wilson; Skadra 2S, D, 3rbi; White S, rbi; Berhalter S, 2rbi