Thompson lifts Post 33 in a extra-inning classic
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RICHMOND -- With a more youthful group than in years past, Jefferson County Teramana Post 33 coach Anthony Pierro knows he’s going to have to lean on his veteran players.
So, it was no surprise to Pierro that it was J.T. Thompson, the recent Big Red grad that is headed to Malone University, that came through in the clutch Tuesday evening at the Edison Unified Sports Complex.
Thompson, fresh off helping Big Red reach the regional final less than two weeks ago and turning in an All-OVAC senior season, came through with a walk-off RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, lifting Post 33 to a 1-0 victory over the visiting Ohio Valley Mountaineers.
"J.T. is the only (recently graduated) senior we have this year, and we have two college guys, outside of that we’re all underclassmen," Pierro said. "J.T. was the perfect man for that situation and he did exactly what we expected him to do.
"The Mountaineers played really well."
Harrison Central product Kaden Jurosko and Edison’s Matt Parsons combined on the mound to pitch the shutout.
Jurosko fanned five in going the first five innings, before Parsons got credit for the victory with the final three innings, fanning one.
"Jurosko threw great on the mound and so did Matt Parsons," Pierro said. "We played really good defense. Our challenge this year is going to be hitting and we have to find ways to win, and we did."
They needed to be that good, too, because the Mountaineers’ Jackson Romshak, a Martins Ferry grad, was dealing.
Romshak fanned six in going 7 2/3 innings and held Jefferson County (8-2) off the board until Thompson finally broke through in extras.
"He threw just under 90 pitches, which is fantastic," Ohio Valley coach Ron Green said of his hurler. "It was a great game of baseball.
"We’ve got kids from Indian Creek, Buckeye Local, Bellaire, Ferry, Park, (Wheeling) Central, John Marshall. They’re from all over and they have meshed together the last several years playing together. It’s a great group."
Post 33’s best chance before the eight came all the way back in the second when it left the bases loaded. Ohio Valley (4-4) had chances of its own to score, including in the top of the eighth when they too loaded the bases, but could not break through.
"We’ve been playing as a team for four years now and these guys come to play every night," Green said of his club. "We play the best and to play the best in the state of Ohio, you have to play (Jefferson County). We were one play away, one play at first base, one play here or there, but that’s the game. When we get to the Beast of the East, we’ll see what happens."
For Post 33, Big Red’s Cooper Blackburn had a pair of hits.
Wheeling Park’s Ryan Conrad doubled in the fourth for the game’s only hit for extra bases.
"We’ve got to get it together and play more consistent," Pierro said. "We’ve got to keep getting better before the weekend."
Post 33 is back in action on the turf at Edison tonight, hosting a showdown with Wheeling Post 1 before heading to the Tiffin College Classic this weekend.
Jefferson County 1, Ohio Valley 0
Ohio Valley 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0 - 0 2 1
Jefferson County 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-1 - 1 5 0
OHIO VALLEY (4-4): Romshak (LP, 7 2/3IP, 1R, 1ER, 5H, 6K, 1BB, 1HBP) and Miller. Conrad D; Wilhelm S.
JEFFERSON COUNTY (8-2): Jurosko (5IP, 0R, 1H, 5K, 2BB), Parsons (WP, 3IP, 0R, 1H, 1K, 2BB) and Smith. Blackburn 2S; Thompson S, RBI; Edwards S; Ferroni S.