Jeney tosses 1-hit gem in Copperheads’ 6-0 win
CARMICHAELS 鈥� Zack Jeney tossed a one-hit gem for Blue Mountain, as the Copperheads defeated Mill Run, 6-0, Wednesday in Fayette County Baseball League action at Carmichaels High School.
?Jeney was dominant throughout, losing a no-hit bid with one out in in the top of the seventh when Kevin Ball hit a seeing-eye single up the middle.
鈥淶ach has been throwing for me since he was 16 years old,鈥� Blue Mountain coach Richard Krause said. 鈥淗e is a quality pitcher. The funny thing is that when I ask him how he was feeling before the game, he just said, 鈥榞ood enough.鈥� So credit goes to him for throwing this well when he wasn鈥檛 feeling that great. He had great command and pounded the strike zone early.鈥�
Jeney, who threw a no-hitter this season for Slippery Rock University, registered at least one strikeout every inning, and finished with 11.
鈥淶ach threw a solid game for them,鈥� Mill Run skipper Ray Orndoff Jr. said. 鈥淗e kept us off-balance and mixed up his speeds. He got ahead in a lot of the counts. The last few games we have been struggling offensively; we have to make contact with the ball. We can鈥檛 leave runners in scoring position.鈥�
Blue Mountain (10-3) had to not only battle Mill Run (6-8), but also an eight-day layoff, as the Copperheads鈥� bats showed some rust early in the game.
鈥淲e have been off for the past eight days, and I thought we might be a little bit rusty early on,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淲e had some good at-bats and battled at the plate. I will always take six runs against Mill Run; they always play a fundamental game.鈥�
In the third, the home team cracked the scoreboard, sending 10 batters to the plate.
Gene Franks lofted an RBI fielder鈥檚 choice for the first run, and two batters later, J.W. Kayla collected a RBI single.
With two outs, designated hitter Ron Nopwasky drew a bases-loaded walk, and Brain Coleman ripped a two-run single to make the score 5-0.
Blue Mountain added a run in the fifth, when Coleman鈥檚 base knock sent Kayla home to give the Copperheads their sixth run.
Coleman led all players with two hits and three RBI鈥檚, while Joe Havrilak contributed two hits, including a double in the fourth.
Bell was tagged with the loss for Mill Run, as he pitched four and one-third innings, allowing six free passes and two strikeouts. Kris Firestone pitched the remainder of the game, and held Blue Mountain scoreless, fanning two batters.
Krause gave credit to the Copperhead鈥檚 defense.
鈥淩ick Smykla made two fantastic plays in the outfield for us today,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淥ur defense has been a strength, and it has been much improved since the start of the season. It鈥檚 easy when your pitcher strikes out 11 guys and you only have to make a couple of plays in the field.鈥�
Blue Mountain travels to Dunbar tonight for a 6?p.m. start time, and Friday Blue Mountain hosts Dunbar.