SECTION IV BASEBALL: TIOGA BLANKS MORAVIA, 5-0, IN DUELING 1-HITTERS (16 PHOTOS) (2022-05-20)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportTIOGA CENTER — Senior Josh Reis delivered a key three-run double — Tioga’s only hit, and sophomore Ethan Perry tossed six one-hit innings to lead the Tigers to a 5-0 win over Moravia here Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Section IV, Class C playoffs.
“It was good to get a win against Moravia after a tough loss against them up there a couple weeks ago,” said Tioga coach Kevin Evanek. “They have a good lefty pitcher and we were fortunate to get five first-inning runs.
“And, it was a good win to prepare for Lansing on Monday,” added Evanek.
The Tigers, now 12-6, will travel to face second-seeded Lansing on Monday in the Class C quarterfinals.
Perry fanned 12 and walked four in picking up the win, losing his no-hitter to a lead-off single in the top of the sixth.
“Ethan (Perry) was outstanding,”said Evanek. “And Casey (Stoughton) did a nice job closing out the game in the seventh.”
Stoughton struck out three and walked one in one inning.
The unsung hero in the win was junior catcher Max Dydynski for his 12-pitch at-bat that extended the first inning, and proceeded Reis’ bases-clearing three-run double to cap Tioga’s five-run rally.
“Max (Dydynski) had a great at-bat that extended their pitcher’s pitch count, and resulted in a walk to keep the inning going,” said Evanek. “Josh Reis then hit a huge double to clear the bases and that was enough to win.”
Perry pitched around a pair of one-out walks in the top of the first, but Moravia ace, sophomore Aiden Kelly, was not as fortunate.
Freshman Shea Bailey, senior Casey Stoughton, and sophomore Drew Macumber worked walks to start the inning, and load the bases.
Kelly fanned the next two Tioga batters, but walked sophomore Karson Sindoni on four pitches to force home a run and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Dydynski stepped to the plate next. During his at-bat, Kelly uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Stoughton to score for a 2-0 lead.
Down 1-2 in the count, Dydynski fouled off five pitches, before working the walk to re-load the bases.
On a 2-0 pitch, Reis golfed a low pitch on the inside part of the plate into the left-center field gap for a double to clear the bases and make it 5-0.
Perry ran into a bit of trouble in the fourth inning after the first two Moravia batters reached on a base on balls and an error, but the Tioga ace fanned the next three batters to escape the jam unscathed.
The Tigers loaded the bases in the home half of the inning on consecutive two-out walks to senior Isaac Peterson, Bailey, and Stoughton, but Kelly ended the inning with a strikeout.
Perry hit a pair of Moravia batters in the fifth inning, but Dydynski throttled the threat by throwing out a runner attempting to steal third base.
“Max’s ability to throw out a couple base runners out stealing were big momentum shifts,” said Evanek.
Perry was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fifth, and senior Cobe Whitmore reached on an error to put runners on first and second, but Kelly retired the next three batters — two via strikeouts — to avoid any further damage.
Kelly led off the top of the sixth inning with a single, but was thrown out stealing to end the inning.
Moravia reliever Luke Landis pitched the sixth, striking out two and pitching around a two-out walk to Stoughton.
Stoughton countered in the top of the seventh with two strikeouts, a walk, and a game-ending punch out to sent the Tigers into the Class C quarterfinals.
Kelly was tagged with the loss, allowing five runs — all earned — on one hit, while striking out nine and walking nine. He threw 115 pitches in five innings.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga’s Josh Reis. … PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
