Deutz blanks Sox
Milroy’s Nathan Deutz pitches complete-game shutout to lead Yankees to 1-0 victory over SoxArticle Photos
By Jenny Kirk
MILROY - Hits were hard to come by in the amateur baseball game between the Milroy Yankees and the Lamberton Long Sox in Milroy Tuesday.
While four pitchers battled from the mound for the Long Sox, Milroy's Nathan Deutz took care of business and went the distance to get the 1-0 shutout win.
"Obviously, there wasn't a lot of hitting," said Yankee manager Ryan Rohlik. "I knew that Lamberton was going to throw all their best pitchers, so we knew runs would be at a premium. We wanted to give Nathan his last start before playoffs. We know when he's on the hill, we just need to get a couple and more often than not, he can hold the lead for us."
Deutz, who improved his record on the mound to 9-0, struck out 15 batters and gave up just two hits and one walk.
"I felt good and the defense played well behind me," said Deutz. "I always try to throw strikes as much as possible. It worked out well. There were a couple important strikeouts when there were guys on base. I tried to really juice it up a little bit more."
In the first and third innings, Deutz sat down three straight batters. In the top of the ninth, he also fanned two.
"I don't think I threw a curve ball until the fourth inning," Deutz said. "I like to make them hit my fastball and then once they catch up to that, switch it up a little bit."
The Yankees scored the lone run of the game in the fourth when Matt Bauer led off with a single to shallow left-center. Bauer advanced to second on Brian Dolan's sacrifice bunt. A balk allowed Bauer to take third.
Then with two outs away, Cory Schmidt put the ball in play to bring Bauer home. Schmidt's dribbler forced Long Sox catcher Derrick Jenniges to make a tough throw to first base. Four feet before Schmidt reached the base, the ball ricocheted off his arm and away from the awaiting glove of his opponent.
"To score the run on the error was a bonus," Rohlik said. "We'll take anything on a game like this, where one run could have won it for either team."
Milroy stranded two runners on base in the second inning after Dean Zwach took a walk and Schmidt ran out an infield single with one out away. But Matt Samyn, who started on the mound for the Long Sox, sat down the second and third batter of the inning.
"It was good baseball game," said Lamberton catcher and manager Jenniges. "There was good pitching and it was tough to get guys on base. You had to execute when you had the opportunities."
Lamberton's Tyler Reiner spoiled the no-hitter for Deutz by smashing a single up the middle in the fifth. Reiner advanced to second on a passed ball, but then a strikeout and a flyout capped the inning.
In the eighth, the Long Sox threatened to tie the game after Jenniges earned a lead-off single to shallow center. Jake Wahl laid down a bunt to advance Jenniges to second and then Tony Ourada's groundout to first base moved Jenniges to third.
Matt Knakmuhs put the ball into play, but Milroy's Zwach threw him out from third base to keep Jenniges from scoring.
With two outs away in the ninth, the Long Sox narrowly fell short of a late-game rally when Colby Pack blasted a Deutz pitch to the fence in right-center. But Yankee outfielder Christopher Eichten made the running catch to end the game.
"We had three games last week and we had some guys that hadn't pitched for awhile," Jenniges said. "Matt and Colby hadn't pitched for while and Tyler and Jake pitched last week. It was a good opportunity for everyone to get a little time on the mound."
At the plate, Eichten and Eric Dolan were 1-for-4, while Bauer and Cory Schmidt went 1-for-3.
The Long Sox pitchers combined to earn nine strikeouts in the game.
Milroy improves to 25-3, while Lamberton drops to 19-8-1 on the season.
"We have a two-game lead at the top," said Jenniges. "But there are two good teams chasing us."
Lamberton 000 000 000-0 2 1
Milroy000 100 00x-1 4 0
M-Nathan Deutz. L-Matt Samyn, Tyler Reiner (3), Jake Wahl (6), Colby Pack (7). WP-Deutz. LP-Reiner. LOB: L-3, M-5.
