Tinsley’s big day on both sides of ball leads Justin-Siena past Hercules in season opener
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
It’s always nice to have a monster game on Opening Day. It just is nice to start the season off on the right foot.
In Saturday afternoon’s opener, the Justin-Siena baseball team was hitting the ball all over the diamond as they walloped Hercules, 11-0, in a game played at Braves Diamond.
However, the one having the biggest game of everyone was senior Dalen Tinsley. At the plate, he never got out going 2-for-2 with a three-run homer, double, 2 walks, 2 stolen bases, 3 RBIs, and 4 runs scored.
“I’m just trying to stay short and compact,” Tinsley explained of his approach in the batter’s box. “I chose to take on the leadoff role this year. We lost our leadoff hitter. I thought I’d be a good replacement, chose to kind of change my approach to short and simple. Put the barrel on the ball and get on base for my team.”
The home run came in the second inning, where the Braves scored four times. Aidan Phinney doubled and then Braeden Butler had a bunt single to put runners on the corners for Tinsley who yanked his three-run blast over the fence in left field. Luke Giusto walked and later scored on a bases-loaded walk by Sam Denkin.
“It felt great,” Tinsley said of his first home run of the season. “Definitely put in a lot of work in the offseason trying to improve my hitting. I think it showed their first and third situation I’m really just trying to get the job done however I can. It just happened to come that way.”
Justin-Siena (1-0) also scored three times in the first inning. After Tinsley doubled and Everet Johnson walked, they both scored when Jake Fletcher struck out but reached on a wild pitch before going to second on an errant throw down the right-field line, which scored Tinsley and Johnson. The next at-bat saw Jason Gray reach on another error that scored Fletcher.
“I think we really just kind of capitalize on the errors they made, put the balls in play we needed to take advantage of mistakes,” Tinsley said of the first.
In the third, they also scored twice. Tinsley walked and then moved to third on the double to center field by Trevor L’Esperence before scoring on a wild pitch. L’Espernce advanced to third on that wild pitch before scoring on one a little later.
“We extended a lot of that bats today, got down in counts, and just battled out and ended up our way on base,” Justin-Siena manager Jeremy Tayson said of the team’s approach that gained them an early 7-0 lead. “
The game reached the mercy-rule stage in the fourth when the Braves scored their final two runs. Butler singled before swiping second and third, while Tinsley walked and stole second and both later scored when Guisto ripped a single down the left field line with two outs.
Getting the win in this game was Tinsley. He worked 3 innings striking out 6 and walking just 1. The senior right-hander also gave up just two hits in the game.
“Really just came down to trust in my curveball kind of new pitch in my arsenal,” Tinsley explained as to what was working for him on the bump. “Before I was kind of just like sling it, see where it goes guy. Now I’ve definitely refined my off speeds a lot more and I’m a lot more confident, and I think I was able to utilize them a lot on the mound. That really helped me it really helped me and my team propelled to success.”
Tinsley found himself in a jam in the first inning of the game where the Titans (0-2) were able to load the bases with one out.
Others pitching for the Braves and working an inning each were Cesar Evina and Griffin Messenger.
Justin-Siena will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 PM when they host Branson.