JOHNSTOWN —
Derek Younker allowed a base hit to the first batter he faced on Tuesday night.
The Martella’s Pharmacy right-hander gave up two more hits and a Laurel Auto Group run in the second inning of the early AAABA League game at Point Stadium.
Then, Younker went into shutdown mode.
The Pitt-Johnstown junior retired the final 17 batters he faced, and his teammates produced plenty of offensive support in Martella’s 8-1 victory.
“I was just trying to hit my spots,” said Younker, who is undefeated in six decisions this season. “The run support was big. When you have run support like that, you’ve got a lot of confidence.
“I was relying on the fastball and slider. I mixed in the curve and change-up but mostly fastball and slider.”
Younker struck out eight and walked none in a three-hitter. He lowered his ERA to 1.08 with 46 strikeouts and only four walks.
“It’s one of those things where you get in a groove like that and it just happens,” Younker said. “You build that confidence up. You get that run support from your teammates. The whole team gets into it and you win ballgames.”
Laurel Auto led 1-0 after Zac Heide doubled and scored on Avery Sandor’s single to right with one out in the second inning. Sandor was the last Laurel runner to reach base.
“Derek came out and gave us another great outing,” Martella’s Pharmacy manager Chris Pfeil said. “He was a little shaky in the first inning but once he settled in, he dominated the game. Once he found his groove he did a good job of hitting his spots, and (catcher) Pat Gully called another great game.”
Jimmy Stenger blasted a two-run homer over the Screen Monster to make it 2-1 in the second.
“That was the turnaround,” Younker said of Stenger’s homer. “That just lifts you.”
Martella’s added two more in the third as Matt McMillen tripled in a run and scored on a Tony Strasiser ground out.
The Pharmacy (18-12) had a four-run fourth highlighted by Dan Abbenante’s two-run double to center and McMillen’s run-scoring single.
“Jimmy found something to drive – an 0-2 pitch. A guy made a mistake and he made him pay for it,” Pfeil said of Stenger. “We had a couple balls we hit really hard. Matt McMillen came up with a big triple in the gap to help bust things open. Dan Abbenante had a two-run hit that sort of busted things open.”
Martella’s Pharmacy swept the three-game set and halted some momentum Laurel Auto (14-16) had built with four straight wins prior to the league break.
“Martella’s pitcher came out and threw strikes,” Laurel Auto manager Len Beiter said. “Our guys put the ball in play but we couldn’t get the timely hits. I thought after the last two games we played them the past two nights, 1-0 and 4-2, it was going to be a game where we came out on fire because they were going for the sweep and this was the playoff tiebreaker.
“They got the tiebreaking edge,” he said of the No. 3 and 4 playoff seeding. “We’ve got an uphill battle. We’ve got to stay focused and positive. We are doing some things right, but it’s not been enough at this moment.”
Sports
Another gem for Younker as Martella’s rolls
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