CASSTOWN – Greenville’s Warren Hartzell, Alex Kolb and Tyler Beyke combined for a no-hitter in Thursday night’s 9-0 varsity baseball scrimmage road win over the Miami East Vikings under rainy skies.
“We didn’t give up any runs and we scored a bunch,” said Greenville veteran baseball coach Eric Blumenstock. “There was still some things that we saw as a coaching staff that we can still clean up a little bit.”
“There are some things we still need to work on that popped up,” Blumenstock added. “That’s what is good about these scrimmages.”
The 2020 season is the year the coaching staff has been looking forward to with most of last year’s starters returning. The Wave got in the scrimmage in just before the OHSAA put the spring sports season on hold.
“This is a big year for us and hopefully everything works out,” Blumenstock stated. “There is a lot of uncertainty out there right now – a lot of don’t knows so we’ll just have to sit back and wait and see what happens for us.”
Greenville took advantage of a Vikings second inning passed ball with Alec Fletcher racing home to give the Wave a 1-0 lead after two complete innings of play with sophomore Warren Hartzell pitching hitless ball over the opening innings.
The Green Wave exploded for six runs in the top of the third starting with back-to-back walks to Marcus Wood and Reed Hanes and Tyler Bykey reaching first by way of a hit batsman to load the bases with no outs.
Hartzell drove a RBI single to left scoring Wood, Alec Fletcher drilled a RBI single to left plating Hanes. Beyke and Hanes crossed the plate taking advantage of an outfield error to push Greenville’s lead to 5-0.
A Tytan Grote RBI liner to center scored Fletcher for the Wave’s fifth run of the inning. Wood closed out scoring in the third with a RBI line drive to center scoring pinch runner Ethan Flannery to give Greenville a 7-0 advantage with Miami East coming to the plate in the bottom of the inning.
Kolb took over on the mound with the left hander striking out the side in the third inning sending the scrimmage to the top of the fourth.
Neither team would plate a run in the fourth while Kolb was shutting the home team down in order with two strikeouts wrapped around a groundout to short.
The teams played scoreless in the fifth with Beyke taking over on the mound for the Greenville and pitching a fifth inning strikeout.
Greenville went down in order in the top of the sixth and Beyke would pick up his second strikeout in the bottom of the inning sending the game to the top of the seventh.
The Wave took advantage of four walks, a hit batsman and two steals of home to lead 9-0 in what would prove to be the final score of the game.
“We got everybody in there,” Blumenstock noted. “I think we could take two full teams out of this group and be competitive. We have a lot of good ball players in here.”
Greenville scattered eight hits over seven innings with Wood and Fletcher banging out two hits apiece.
Wood was 2-2, reaching base five times including 2-hits and 3-walks, 1-RBI and 1-run scored. Fletcher went 2-3 with a RBI and run scored.
Hartzell went 1-3 with 2-walks, a RBI and a run scored, Beyke 1-1 with a walk and run scored, Hanes 1-2 with a walk, Grote 1-4 with a RBI, Kolb 1-1 with a single and Flannery 2-walks and 2-runs scored.
Greenville accounted for eight stolen bases led by Flannery’s three steals.
Hartzell opened the game tossing 2-inning of no-hit ball with 1-walk. Kolb pitched 2-perfect innings striking out 5-of-6 batters. Beyke threw 2-inning of no-hit ball striking out two and walking three.
With Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine stating at the end of the school day on Monday, schools in Ohio will be closed for three weeks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, coach Blumenstock was hopeful there would still be a high school baseball season.
“Hopefully we get to keep playing,” Coach Blumenstock said as the players climbed on the bus to head back to Greenville. “We have a lot of energy, a lot of fun kids. It will be a shame if they can’t use it for the season but we’ll just have to see what happens.”
