KIDWELL, W.Va. — With a chance to close out a sizable rally and post a win over a sectional rival, Tyler Consolidated used small ball to post a big early-season victory.
Carson Gorby’s squeeze bunt in the bottom of the eighth inning allowed Mason Nichols to cross the plate with the winning run as the Silver Knights defeated Williamstown, 5-4.
Gorby, who pushed a run across with an RBI single in the sixth inning, stepped to the plate with one out. On the first pitch he saw, Gorby pushed a bunt down the third base line and Nichols, who was running on the pitch, easily scored ahead of a throw to give Tyler their sixth victory of the season.
“We like to run that and we work on it a lot. Carson Gorby just made a play. Mason Nichols was on the move and Gorby got the bunt down. We knew it was over from there,” said Tyler Consolidated head coach Rob Jones.
Williamstown took leads of 3-0 and 4-1 before the Silver Knights rallied with a single run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to force extra innings.
Senior pitcher Jayden Helmick kept the game in range for Tyler after allowing three runs (two earned) in the first three innings. Helmick pitched seven innings, allowing six hits.
“Jayden moved the ball around the zone and his velocity is up this year. He has worked really hard.”
In the top of the eighth, fellow senior Ty Walton came on in relief of Helmick. After allowing a leadoff walk, Walton collected a pair of strikeouts to end the inning unscathed.
“[Walton] is just a bulldog,” Jones said. “He has worked so hard. He is the kind of kid you root for because him and Jayden both worked their tails off. Both are committed to Glenville State. They are getting two good ones.”
Williamstown freshman pitcher Jenner Burge kept the Knights off balance with an effective start. He allowed just one run and four hits in five innings of work.
“Tip your cap to Burge for them. He moved the ball around and kept the ball low. Whenever he got it up, we were flying out. The kids just kept their approach the same. We talked about just kind of calming yourself in the box, getting line drives and helping the team out.”
Maxwell Molessa led the Williamstown lineup with a pair of hits and two runs batted in. Zade Billings, Gorby and Charles Brown all had multi-hit games for Tyler (6-0). Brown’s RBI double with two out in the bottom of the seventh sent the game to extra innings.
Tyler and Williamstown finished the 2022 regular season as the top two Class A teams in the MetroNews poll.
“We played them five times last year, including two championship games. One was for the [Little Kanawha] Conference and one was for the sectionals. We are very aware of who they have and they are very aware of us. Hats off to both teams. That was a heck of a March baseball game.”