PHILIPSBURG — The Philipsburg-Osceola baseball team seems to be built for the long haul in 2017.
The Mounties’ versatility and depth were on display when they took full advantage of their opportunities in a 6-2 victory over Bald Eagle Area on March 30 at P-O.
The Mounties had just five hits, but they pushed across five runs in the first two innings, in part due to some early BEA wildness, and then left things up to veteran pitcher Josh Earnest.
Earnest was solid all day for P-O. He gave up a run in the second inning on an RBI single by Ty Walker and then another in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Hunter Eminhizer. The Eagles were held to just three other hits and did not get a runner past second base. Cam Domblisky came in relief and pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning to lock up the Mounties’ second win of the young season.
“Bald Eagle is always a tough game,” Philipsburg coach Doug Sankey said, “and all those guys (the Eagles) had good at-bats. But Josh (Earnest) got stronger after the delay (there was a 30-minute lightning delay). It took him two innings after that, but in that last inning he was strong. Normal Josh.”
P-O got on the board with four runs in the first inning against BEA starter Walker. Micah Martin began things with a walk, and then after a pop-out by Earnest, Logan Williamson hit an RBI triple into the gap in left-center field. Trey Shaw was then walked — one of three in the inning — and Gage Coudriet followed with an RBI single to make the score 2-0.
Brandon Kephart made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly, and then Josh Bryan drove in the fourth run with a two-out single.
BEA got a run back in the second after a double by Eminhizer and Walker’s single, but P-O answered immediately when Shaw drove in Williamson in the bottom of the inning to make the score 5-1.
“We’re deep at almost every position,” Earnest said. “We have two or three players who can play anywhere, and then as long as we keep practicing hard we can do pretty good. I think our communication on the field and our defense will be the best things that will help us out.”
That defense was flawless against BEA — the Mounties did not have an error in the game — but the Eagles still were able to creep to within 5-2 after a walk to Grant King, a single by Kyle Gill, and Eminhizer’s sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth.
That would be all BEA would get, however, as Earnest and then Domblisky allowed just one more hit over the final three innings.
“We put the ball in play today and got guys in with timely hitting,” Sankey said, “and we got guys on the bench who can play. I think that helps everybody in practice, gives everybody an edge. I the first three innings, we had some guys with really good at bats. Patient but aggressive, that’s what we like.”
BUILDING ON 2016
The Mounties are in the process of building on a successful 15-8 season in 2016. The first order of business was replacing the five graduated seniors — Isaac Rowles, Derek Shaw, Jacob Maines, Isaac Knepp and Caleb Belinda.
That was not easy. Shaw batted .367, and Shaw, Knepp and Belinda together accounted for 68 hits, 37 runs and 37 RBI.
Fortunately for the Mounties, there are a wealth of good hitters returning. Earnest hit .342 last season, Williamson .323, Kephart .241, Bryan .333 and freshman Martin .275.
Those players lead a contingent of 13 players returning from last season’s roster.
On the mound, four of the five starting pitchers for the Mounties are back. That includes juniors Coudriet and Earnest who combined to go 8-4 last season with 62 strikeouts and just 22 earned runs in 94 innings of work.
Knepp (6-3) is the only pitcher who graduated.
Overall, the Mounties appear to have the hitting, pitching and returning experience for another serious playoff run this season.
“We are definitely optimistic,” Sankey said. “We have high expectations, high goals.”
