SECTION IV BASEBALL: NEWARK VALLEY RUNS INTO HARPURSVILLE BUZZSAW (2019-05-24)

BY TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
NEWARK VALLEY — Typically, the Section IV playoffs open with each team putting its best pitcher on the mound. Harpursville was no different as they put ace James Grausgruber on the hill and he would mow down Newark Valley, 4-0, in Class C action here Friday.

Grausgruber and Matt Lyon combined to no-hit the Cardinals as Grausgruber went 6 1/3 innings, striking out 10 batters without yielding a hit. Lyon came on in relief and struck out the final two batters to keep the Hornets’ no-hit effort in tact.

“Their starting pitcher, Grausgruber, he had a heck of a game today,” said NV head coach Tim Pisarczyk. “He had a little rough first inning, but hats off to him. He put it in his back pocket and threw a heck of a rest of the game.”

Grausgruber helped his own cause at the plate, going 2-for-3 with the game-winning hit, an RBI double. It came in the top of the fifth after Chris Dattoria was hit by a pitch. Grausgruber blasted a shot to the left-center field gap. Grausgruber would make it 2-0 on Justin Fleming’s single up the middle.

The Hornets added a pair of insurance runs against reliever Kyle Coffin in the seventh as Grausgruber sandwiched a double between a pair of walks.

Grausgruber came out a little shaky to start the game, walking Coffin, Wandell and Joey Woodmansee, but the Cardinals were unable to take advantage of his generosity.

NV got runners in scoring position in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but left them stranded.

Freshman ace Mikey Wandell had a solid performance on the hill for NV. He went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out 10.

“He lost control here and there, but plenty of strikeouts again,” Pisarczyk said. “You can always count on that with Mikey. He keeps batters off balance, throws a lot of good fastball, good curveball; it’s hard to pick up. He did very well also.”

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IN PHOTO 1: NV’s Riley Malone. … PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.