Bowling Green senior pitcher Tyler Stahl was firing on all cylinders Monday night, pitching a complete game and striking out nine batters and allowing just two hits and two walks in a 7-0 shutout of South Warren.
Facing the wind, which is a familiar foe to all pitchers, Stahl kept his composure on the mound by using three early runs by the Purples to boost his confidence.
“Those three runs helped a lot,” said Stahl. “It made it more comfortable knowing that I could go out there and throw strikes and let the defense make plays.”
Stahl started off the scoring for the Purples in the bottom of the first inning by singling in his first at bat to bring in Luke Brown, and then stole home later in the inning.
“Tyler (Stahl) had a phenomenal night for us,” said Bowling Green head coach Matt Myers. “He was very efficient on the mound and got some big hits.”
A hit by Trevor Dennis added another run in the inning as Logan Bowen came home to give Bowling Green a 3-0 advantage.
The Spartans (12-12) did not pose any real threat to the Purples’ lead until the top of the third inning, but were unable to capitalize on any scoring opportunities.
Bowling Green added another run in the bottom of the third inning when a hit by Will Garske with the bases loaded brought in Nick Meyer to expand the lead to 7-0.
“We did a good job of getting runners in scoring position,” said Myers. “It was a total team effort.”
The Purples (16-8) saw the lead balloon to 7-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Meyer was walked with the bases loaded and Stahl added a two-run single.
Bowling Green recorded seven hits on the evening, two of them coming from Stahl. South Warren’s lone two hits came from Josh Vincent.
The Purples and Spartans will meet again on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at South Warren after the conclusion of the first game between Warren East and Greenwood.
