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Heart and strength: Berry, Eyer combine for seven-hitter, Indians win thriller

By CHRIS MASSE 6 min read

WILLIAMSPORT– Following torn labrum surgery last June, Kadyn Berry experienced pain. It went beyond his shoulder and right to his heart. The Muncy senior could not play the game he loved.

Cleared to play again before the preseason, Berry feels whole again. He is still regaining strength and finding his groove, but that heart is pounding stronger than ever. That goes for Stiles Eyer as well as the two pitchers repeatedly displayed their toughness Thursday at Logue Field.

Berry and Eyer combined on a seven-hitter and stranded 14 base runners, helping Muncy win a 10-4, nine-inning thriller against rival St. John Neumann. Berry struck out nine in five gutsy innings of relief before Eyer returned in the ninth and closed out the victory after Tanner Baker's seventh inning RBI grounder forced extra innings.

"It was six-month recovery. That really kicked me in the butt," Berry said. "I had to keep working hard. I lost a lot of skill and a lot of my muscle but I'm starting to get it back."

Berry proved it against Neumann, helping Muncy (4-1, 3-0 Mid-Penn) won its fourth straight game. The senior right-hander stranded eight runners in his first four innings, including the winning runs on second and third in the seventh. A four-year starter, Berry also left the bases loaded in the fifth inning, keeping Muncy within one run and left two more on in the sixth, preventing the Knights from going up multiple runs.

He was not at his best, but Berry soldiered through the adversity time after time. He ended two big threats with strikeouts before closing with a perfect eighth inning. Berry also slammed a seventh inning double which moved Landyn Wommer (1 for 3, 2 runs) to third base and allowed him to score a batter later on Baker's grounder.

"I slowed my pitching a little bit and pounded the zone," Berry said. "I don't worry about it. I just focus on the strike zone. I don't worry about my surroundings as much."

Eyer displayed a similar approach and stranded six runners in his four innings. The junior righty worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jame in the third inning with a strikeout and pop-out before closing the game on a liner to second baseman Liam Adams. Together, Berry and Eyer struck out 14 against a determined opponent.

"They both went deep into counts and the bases would be loaded but they would pitch out of it," Muncy coach Shawn Finn said. Stiles said. "Our Nos. 1-2 pitchers are out for the rest of the week but my motto is win game on and worry about the next one. The guys gutted it out and I'm proud of them."

Neumann coach Rick Armstead feels similar pride when looking at how his team played. The Knights gave a perennial Mid-Penn power a battle for a second straight day after pushing undefeated Montgomery hard in 4-2 loss Wednesday.

Chase Wright pitched eight brilliant innings, scattering five hits, Gino Birch hit a clutch two-out, two-run single to give Neumann a 4-3 lead entering the seventh and shortstop Angelo Birch, third baseman Clark Bower, first baseman Andrew Walter and center fielder Lajon Dizard all made some super plays.

"We're a small school, small roster and I'm proud of those guys. We're starting three freshmen and learning in the fire so to speak. They're going to get better from this," Armstead said. "There are things we need to fix and work on but I'm proud that they go out and battle for each other and battle for our school the way they do."

Wright threw his best high school game, keeping an offense which scored 34 runs in its two previous games off-balance all afternoon. The junior and reliever Angelo Birch allowed just one earned run in nine innings and Wright walked just one batter, retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced and stranded the go-ahead runner on third in the seventh inning.

"Chase was lights out just like our pitcher from (Wednesday), Aidan (Vogt) was lights out," Armstead said. "These guys want this very badly and I'm excited about the fire that they bring."

Vogt (2 for 4) brought some two-out fire in the second inning, ripping an RBI single which put Neumann ahead, 1-0. Muncy scored two runs in the sixth without a hit but the Knights came right back.

Wright hit a one-out single and stole second before Nolan Fagnano and Walter walked. Gino Birch then delivered a huge hit, belting a two-run single into center field and putting Neumann up, 4-3.

"We're both good teams. We both have tough competitions against each other every time we play each other," Berry said. "We're both good, but we came up strong at the end and were able to pull it out."

Berry played a key role with his seventh inning double. The game remained tied 4-4 until the ninth then what should have been a 1-2-3 inning became much more. Five errors helped open the door and Muncy scored six times to take a 10-4 lead. Braydon Kamerer (2 for 4) highlighted the surge with a two-out, two-strike, two-run single and Eyer added a single and scored a run after producing RBIs in two of his three previous at-bats.

Nothing came easy, but Muncy found a way to gut out its 35th straight Mid-Penn win. The way that it would could provide a boost moving forward as well.

"Hat's off to Neumann. They played a great game. Guys were putting the ball in play and that's my motto, 'Put the ball in play and good things happen.'" Finn said. "Finally it did there in the ninth. Our guys could have folded but they didn't and that was big."

Eyer hit a long sacrifice fly which tied the game 1-1 in the fourth inning. Left fielder Gino Birch made a spectacular catch, running toward the left field fence on that play and robbed Eyer of what would have been a two-run double.

"Neumann played a great game," Finn said. "They battled and they put the pressure on us and it's a game you want to play in and, fortunately, you hope you come out with a win and our guys were able to do that."

Muncy 000 102 106―10 7 2

Neumann 010 012 000―4 7 7

Stiles Eyer, Kadyn Berry (4), Eyer (8) and Braydon Kamerer. Chase Wright, Angelo Birch (9) and Aidan Vogt. W―.Eyer L―Birch.

Top Muncy hitters: Kamerer 2-4, 2 RBIs; Landyn Wommer 1-3, 2R, 2 SB; Noah Confer 1-4, 2R; Eyer 1-4, 2 RBIs; Berry 1-5, 2B; Kase Snyder 1-5. Top Neumann hitters: Vogt 2-4, BB, RBI; Wright 1-3, 2 BB; Nolan Fagnano 1-4, R; A. Birch 1-4, 2B, R; Gino Birch 1-3, 2 RBIs, 2R; Clark Bower 1-3, 2 BB.

Records: Muncy 4-1, 3-0 Mid-Penn. Neumann 1-2, 1-2.

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