PHOTO GALLERY | Top-seeded Mainline Pharmacy outlasts The Hill Group in JCBL opener

Regular-season champion Mainline Pharmacy and fourth-seeded The Hill Group battled through nine innings – and then some – in the opener of a best-of-5 Johnstown Collegiate Baseball League semifinal series.

Mainline Pharmacy tallied single runs in three different innings, and two pitchers had strong outings in a 3-1 victory Friday at Roxbury Park.

Tempers flared after the final out, with some heated postgame bantering along the first-base line. Order was quickly restored after the initial yelling and finger-pointing.

PHOTO GALLERY | Fast start propels Laurel Auto past first-place Mainline Pharmacy

Crooked numbers were elusive to get for Laurel Auto Group as the team entered Wednesday’s Johnstown Collegiate Baseball League contest against first-place Mainline Pharmacy losing three of its past four games. Laurel Auto Group hung on late to even the season series with Mainline Pharmacy with a 7-4 triumph.

Game 2 in the best-of-5 series will be played Saturday at Sargent’s Stadium at the Point (2 p.m.).

“It’s always big to get the first one,” said Mainline Pharmacy assistant coach Joe Klezek, who spoke for manager Chance Osborne. “We weren’t as sharp or focused as we need to be in certain facets. We’ll clean that up.

“All that matters is we got the first one. Now, we’ll try for No. 2.”

Veteran Mainline Pharmacy starter Ben Tomb threw 101 pitches, with 67 for strikes.

The big left-hander was effective, despite having to battle through long innings in The Hill Group’s second and third at-bats.

“We threw pretty well,” said Tomb, who pitched five innings before giving way to right-handed reliever Josh Bryson.

“I’m glad we got some run support towards the end,” Tomb said. “We have a lot of arms to go. That’s one thing about these nine-inning games, we can go with anybody. We have the arms to do it.”

Tomb struck out five and walked four while allowing three hits and one run.

Bryson struck out three and walked a pair in four scoreless innings.

“Nine-inning game, you’ve got to score more than one run. Period,” said The Hill Group manager Rusty Thomas, whose team stranded 13 baserunners – 11 in scoring position. “I think we had runners on in seven of the nine innings. We had runners almost every inning, and multiple runners most innings.”

The Hill Group missed league MVP center fielder Sidric Grove, who was unavailable for the game.

The fourth-seeded squad led 1-0 in the top of the third.

Connor Blough singled, advanced on a wild pitch and a groundout, and then scored on Tyler Weber’s single to right.

Mainline Pharmacy tied the game in the bottom half of the frame. Cayden Turner singled. Erik Rhodes bunted him to second, and David Kessler ripped a run-scoring single to center field.

Rhodes singled and scored an unearned run in the fifth.

Turner walked in the seventh inning and made it 3-1 following Rhodes’ walk, Brody Roberts’ well-placed bunt single, and Kessler’s sacrifice fly.

“We hit some balls hard. We had some balls right at people,” Klezek said.

“When it came down to it, we manufactured runs when we needed to.

“The bases loaded, no outs (in the bottom of the seventh). That can’t happen again,” he said of the output.

“We need to get some sort of production in that situation.”

The Hill Group made its first playoff appearance in the franchise’s third JCBL season.

Starting pitcher Hunter Thomas as well as relievers Jonah Horner and Joe Druga each produced solid mound outings.

“I felt like my boys did a great job and our pitchers pitched out of their minds,” Rusty Thomas said.

“Hunter Thomas has been solid for us all year. I wouldn’t even say their bullpen was better than ours at the end,” he said.

“They just did what they needed to do to win and we didn’t. They played better in the last three innings.

“They are the No. 1 team in the league for a reason.”

Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.