PREP BASEBALL: Guitar paces offense, Thomas logs complete game in Troy’s win over Athens
BY JAKE LOURIM
STUDENT CORRESPONDENT
TROY — It took Troy only four batters in the first inning to score four runs.
That was all they needed for the game.
Senior slugger Nick Guitar belted a grand slam and junior pitcher Michael Thomas pitched all seven innings to pace Troy to a 4-2 victory over rival Troy Athens Friday.
After Athens eked out a run in the top of the first, Troy senior Derek Verbruggen led off the bottom half with a single. Seniors Tyler Smith and Tyler Horne reached on a hit-by-pitch and a walk, respectively, bringing Guitar to the plate in the cleanup spot.
The senior got a 1-1 fastball at the belt and turned on it, clearing the right-centerfield fence at about 330 feet.
“He left one up in the zone, and I got under it and drove it over the fence,” Guitar said simply.
The entire team left the dugout to mob Guitar, who has now hit in all six games this season.
“All Nick’s been doing all year is hitting the ball,” Troy coach Jim Ellis said. “He’s been on a tear. It’s unbelievable how well he’s hitting. Every time he comes to the plate, I expect him to be a hitter. I’m not surprised (about the home run).”
“Nick’s the hardest-working kid I know.”
Thanks to another stellar pitching performance by Thomas, that was sufficient.
“I just know that I my team can back me up and make plays if I put it down for them,” Thomas said. “(I need to) be consistent with my strikes.”
Thomas threw a five-inning, one-hit shutout against Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes and a six-inning, two-run gem in his first two outings, but this one outdid even those.
He said he worked mainly off of the outside of the plate and was hitting his slider.
“He always throws strikes,” Guitar said. “He’s always under control, works the curveball and the fastball, and always stays focused. He’s a solid pitcher for us.”
He pitched the complete game in only 92 pitches, 61 of them strikes (66 percent). He struck out five by keeping hitters off-balance all day. Most of all, though, he came through in the clutch, hitting his spots when it mattered most and leaving nine Athens runners on base.
“He pitched great for us; he got himself out of a lot of trouble,” Ellis said. “We got ourselves into a lot of jams early in the game, and we fought our way out of it…(Thomas) kept his poise, got the ground balls, and got the outs when we needed them.”
None were more important than in the third inning.
A single, error, and hit-by-pitch put Thomas in a pickle with the bases loaded and nobody out.
But the junior slowly worked out of the jam, getting a popout to first base, a fielder’s choice at home plate, and a called strike out to end the inning. Five of his last six pitches were strikes.
That fired up even the normally stoic Ellis, who cried out, “Let’s go!” as his team came in from the field. After the game, the coach praised the composure of his young pitcher.
After that, Thomas found his groove, retiring 15 of the last 18 hitters he faced. The only close call was when Athens sent a base hit over second base into right field. With a runner coming home from second, the right fielder Verbruggen came in and darted it straight to home plate. Senior catcher Matt Oppenlander slapped the tag on the runner, and the danger was averted.
No Red Hawks reached base again.
“He just had to hit his spots,” Ellis said. “He needs to get ahead of hitters, and he got a little bit behind some people, so you’re having him throw some pitches that ideally you wouldn’t want to see in certain situations. But, we’ll take it.”
In the long haul, Thomas was also able to contribute seven innings to a tired Troy pitching staff that still has two more games Saturday. The day after a tough 6-1 loss, he gave the bullpen the day off.
Though Troy committed two early errors, Thomas was helped out by solid defense and played the position well himself. In addition to the force-out at home and Verbruggen’s throw to home, Troy picked off a runner and caught another stealing.
After Guitar’s home run, Athens senior pitcher Ryan Noorman settled down and turned the game into a pitcher’s duel, making Thomas’ clutch outs all the more impressive. Noorman completed the game as well, his six innings on 109 pitches with seven strikeouts and a bending curveball that kept Troy off-balanced.
“He just kept throwing strikes,” Guitar said. “He let guys on in the first inning, and he just got it under control and had a nice location with the fastball.”
Verbruggen and senior shortstop Jesse Dubay each had two hits, and Noorman walked four, but Troy never scored after the first inning.
Thanks to Guitar and Thomas, it wasn’t a problem.
BOX SCORE
TROY 4, TROY ATHENS 2
Pitching
W – Thomas (Troy) – 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 92 NP
L – Noorman (Athens) – 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 7 K, 109 NP
TA 110 0000 – 2 8 1
TR 400 0000 – 4 6-0
(Jake Lourim is a junior at Troy High School and a member of the AdaVan Media Group / www.northoaklandsports.com Student Correspondence Program. He is publisher of website www.troycoltsportsupdate.com and a member of the Troy school newspaper editorial staff. He can be reached by e-mail at j.lourim@comcast.net)
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