FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — North Schuylkill’s biggest question mark entering the season was who would fill the offensive void left by the players lost to graduation.
Chris Burke and C.J. Steinhilber showed they’re capable of handling that responsibility Monday.
The pair combined for six hits as part of a 13-hit attack that lifted the Spartans to an 8-4 victory over Tamaqua in a Schuylkill League Division I baseball game.
Steinhilber, a junior first baseman, was 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Burke, a sophomore catcher, was 3-for-4 with his courtesy runner, Scott Grigas, scoring three times.
All six of those hits came in a three-inning span during which North Schuylkill (3-1, 2-0 D-I) scored all eight of its runs to take control of the game.
“C.J. has been hitting the ball well all year,” North
Schuylkill coach Nick Brayford said. “I can’t say enough about both of them. They’ve really put a lot of time into hitting.”
Tamaqua (1-1, 0-1) opened the scoring in the top of the second on Daylon Barron’s three-run double.
North Schuylkill answered with three runs in the bottom of the second, then tackled on two in the third and three more in the fourth.
Burke opened the bottom of the second inning by legging out a grounder to deep shortstop. He added another infield single in the third, then had an RBI single to left in the fourth.
“We have to step up during big games. Today we pulled through,” said Burke, who hit .333 (17-for-51) while playing in all 22 games last season as a freshman. “It was good seeing varsity pitching (last season) and just varsity pace in general because it’s a fast-paced game. Overall, I think we played very well.”
Brayford moved Burke from the No. 3 spot in the batting order to No. 6 before Saturday afternoon’s game against Shenandoah Valley. Since the move, Burke has six hits in two games.
“Chris had been batting No. 3, and the last game we dropped him down, hoping he’d see more fastballs and take a little pressure off him,” Brayford said. “We had him at No. 3, and I think he was pressing a little too much.
“Today he relaxed and really hit the ball.”
Steinhilber, who batted after Burke in the lineup, had a single to right in the second inning, an RBI double in the third and an RBI single in the fourth.
The double came after Steinhilber’s error on a routine throw back to the pitcher in the top of the third allowed Tamaqua to regain the lead at 4-3. His double tied the game, and the Spartans took the lead moments later when Ryan Hillbish’s grounder was misplayed.
Steinhilber, who batted just .219 (7-for-32) with three RBIs last season, has a hit in all four games so far this season.
“When I made that error at first, I was pretty upset,” Steinhilber said. “I thought the only way we were going to get that back was if I got a big hit. When they got on base, I knew I had to do something to get them in.
“Last year I wasn’t hitting the ball that good. This year, to stay on the field, I have to put the ball on the ground and get on base. That’s what I have to do.”
The offensive outburst was plenty of support for pitchers Bobby Grigas and Tevin Murray, who combined to hold Tamaqua hitless over the final four innings.
Grigas overcame a slow start to allow five hits and four runs (two earned) over five innings, striking out nine and walking two. Murray sealed the win with a pair of scoreless frames that included three strikeouts.
“Bobby is a battler. He just competes,” Brayford said. “He gives you everything he has no matter what he has. He’d go out there until his arm falls off.
“Tevin is really coming into his own. He threw the ball well today. To keep a team like that hitless over the final four innings is pretty good.”
Tamaqua, which was playing just its second game of the season, used four pitchers, with Harold Moll going three innings and Connor Hartung, Brett Kosciolek and Bo Rottet each pitching one.
After five hits over the first three innings, the Blue Raiders’ bats went silent. Eight of the final 12 outs were strikeouts.
“Unfortunately, that doesn’t score you runs,” Tamaqua coach Jeff Reading said. “North Schuylkill got timely hits, put the ball in play and found some holes.
“I thought Harold Moll pitched a good game, but they got some timely hits on some good pitches.”
Game Summary
TAMAQUA (4) — Rottet ss-p 4 0 0 0, MacDonald 2b 4 0 1 0, Kosciolek 1b-p-1b 4 0 0 0, Minchhoff rf 3 1 1 0, Bates c 4 0 0 0, Moll p 0 0 0 0, Hartung dh-p-1b 2 1 1 0, Titus 3b 0 0 0 0, Coleman 3b-ss 2 1 1 1, Humes lf 3 0 0 0, Barron cf 2 0 1 3, Blaker cr-ph-cf 1 1 0 0. Totals 29 4 5 4.
NORTH SCHUYLKILL (8) — B. Grigas p-cf 4 1 2 2, Zahodnick ss 4 0 1 0, Rupinski lf 4 1 2 1, Murray cf-p 3 1 1 0, Antalosky 3b 0 0 0 0, Hummel dh 4 1 1 0, Burke c 4 0 3 1, S. Grigas cr 0 3 0 0, Steinhilber 1b 3 1 3 2, Hillbish 2b 2 0 0 2, Marlow rf 2 0 0 0. Totals 30 8 13 8.
Tam (1-1, 0-1) 031 000 0 — 4
NS (3-1, 2-0) 032 300 x — 8
E — Tamaqua 2, North Schuylkill 4. DP — Tamaqua. LOB — Tamaqua 6, North Schuylkill 7. 2B — Barron, Steinhilber. SB — MacDonald, Minchhoff, Coleman, B. Grigas. CS — Rupinski. S — Hillbish.
Tamaqua IP H R ER BB K
Moll L, 0-1 3 9 5 4 2 1
Hartung 1 4 3 3 0 0
Kosciolek 1 0 0 0 0 2
Rottet 1 0 0 0 0 1
North Sch. IP H R ER BB K
Grigas W, 1-0 5 5 4 2 2 9
Murray 2 0 0 0 0 3
HBP — by Murray (Minchhoff). WP — Coleman. T — 2:06