PBR Spotlight Game: No. 2 Tinora vs. Gibsonburg

By Dylan Hefflinger

HAMLER- Tyler McKenney threw five innings of one-hit shutout ball to lead No. 2 Tinora to a 9-0 win over Gibsonburg in Division IV regional semifinal play at Patrick Henry High School.

The Rams (26-3) advance to face Leipsic (25-3) in the regional finals on Friday at 5 p.m. for a trip to the state tournament.

McKenney, an unsigned senior right-hander, had a no-hitter for four innings before Leroy Neeb lined a single to center field to lead off the fifth. McKenney, who moved his season record to 10-0 while lowering his ERA to 0.91, finished with six strikeouts and two walks in five innings on the hill, consistently throwing his fastball 82 mph while topping out at 85.

Logan Jones started for Gibsonburg but the 6-4 senior struggled against Tinora. Jones, who came in with 89 strikeouts in 482/3 innings of pitching this season including 38Ks in 21 frames during the tourney, didn't get out of the fourth inning against the Rams.Jones' fastball was at 82-83 most of the game.

Seniors Nate Beck, Chris Wityk and Casey Liska all had RBI singles in the first for Tinora while McKenney added a sacrifice fly off Jones, who threw 39 pitches in the frame, nearly all fastballs.

Tinora also scored four in the fourth, ending the night on the mound for Jones, who threw 97 pitches allowing six hits and seven walks while fanning four. Dylan Dorfmeyer came on in relief and was met with a RBI triple by Liska, who came home on a wild pitch.

Senior Austin Farrington hit a triple in the fifth and scored his third run of the game on a single by sophomore Derek Drewes.

Gibsonburg, which knocked out No. 1 Hopewell-Loudon 5-2 in the district finals, finished at 21-8.

Junior A.J. Fairchild threw the final two innings for Tinora, giving up four walks but no hits or runs, aided by a pickoff at first base by sophomore catcher Clay Pittman in the sixth.