ALEXANDRIA — With ace pitcher Jack Johnson on the mound, Juniata Valley played small ball to open the game against St. Joseph’s Academy on April 17.
Center fielder Seth Derugen led things off in the first inning for the Hornets with a single, moved all the way to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Jacob Hensor, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Bryce Hensor with the first run of the game.
Make that the only run of the game.
Johnson made it stand up. He pitched a two-hit, no-walk gem that gave the defending District 6 Class A champion Juniata Valley its seventh win of the season without a loss.
The junior right-hander allowed two baserunners — singles by Ben Macafee in the second and Jack Mangene in the seventh — but otherwise he was perfect. He threw five 1-2-3 innings, struck out seven and his teammates did not commit an error as he picked up his third win of the season. Macafee was the only SJCA runner to advance past first base.
“Our guy Jack (Johnson) just stepped up,” Juniata Valley coach Don Price said. “We made some really good defensive plays, no walks, no errors. It was a well-played game. Great high school baseball game, and fortunately we came out on top.”
If Johnson was near perfect, it was because he had to be. St. Joe’s Bryce Herman was not far behind.
Besides the run Derugen scratched out in the first, Herman kept the Hornets off the scoreboard the rest of the day. He was touched for six hits and benefitted from some heady SJCA defense, but the fastballer kept his team right there. The outcome was not decided until Johnson struck out the final batter in the bottom of the seventh.
‘SMALL THINGS’
“This was definitely a pitchers’ duel,” St. Joe’s coach Greg Herman said. “It was awesome pitching on both sides. They (the Hornets) executed a little better when they got their run. They got their runner over to third in scoring position and that ended up being the game. So it was the small things.”
Those small things began with Derugen’s line single to lead off the first inning. Jacob Hensor followed with a perfect bunt down the third-base line, and, in an apparent set play, Derugen never stopped as he rounded second on his way to third base. He just beat the throw by SJCA’s first baseman River Stewart.
Bryce Hensor was next and he did his job with a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Derugen, and that was it.
Juniata Valley did threaten twice more in the game, but the Wolves’ defense was there both times. Blake Morrison was thrown out at home in the third after a single by Jacob Hensor with a perfect throw by SJ right fielder Nate Mellott to catcher Dylan Broderick.
The Hornets then loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth on two singles and a walk, but Herman got Johnson to fly out to deep center and end the threat. Zane Thornburg’s running catch saved at least two runs for the Wolves.
Macafee advanced to third for St. Joe’s with two outs in the second inning after he singled and Johnson uncorked two wild pitches. But then Matt Steyers went to a full count before striking out on a high fast ball.
SJCA had one last chance when Mangene singled sharply with two outs in the seventh. Herman was next with a chance perhaps to save his own game, but Johnson bore down and got him on another high fastball to end the game.
“Well pitched on both sides,” Price said. “Their pitcher (Herman) is one of the best pitchers we’ve seen, or that we are going to see, all year. They are a good ball club, and they made some plays out there on defense.
“We got a base hit, got him to third and then a sac-fly scored him. That’s small ball, and we fortunately got out of here with a win.”
St. Joe’s (3-2) was to stay on the road for five more games. Up first was an April 19 contest with Harmony Area (after Gazette press time), and then there will be games at Carson Long, East Juniata, Philipsburg-Osceola and Bald Eagle Area.
The Wolves will not return home until the Glendale game Monday, May 1.
