Photo by Kim North Linsly first baseman Hayden Ward (23) awaits a pickoff throw Tuesday against Brooke as the Bruins’ Ty Sperringer dives back safely at Holloway Field. The two teams played to a 1-all deadlock as the game was called due to darkness after nine innings.

WHEELING – After Brooke and Linsly went toe-to-toe like a pair of prized fighters for nine innings, Mother Nature turned out to be the winner Tuesday on Holloway Field.

With the score deadlocked at 1 after each team recorded 27 outs, the two umpires and both head coaches met at home plate and came to the conclusion that it was too dark to start the 10th inning. With it being the only meeting of the season for the Bruins (2-0-1) and Cadets (0-1-1), the contest will go into the record books as a tie.

“I hated to do it and my guys are probably disappointed, but I just think it was a smart decision as far as safety goes,” veteran Linsly head coach Jay Cartwright said. “It’s only our second game and we’ve got a long season ahead of us. I don’t want to see anybody get hurt and that’s what it really came down to.”

Costain agreed.

“It was probably going to be to our disadvantage because we would be hitting when it was lighter, but we’d be trying to field it as it got darker,” Brooke third-year head coach Doug Costain said. “We’re good. It was another really good baseball game in March.”

The stalemate negated a superb mound outing by Linsly starter Tucker Doty. The right-handed senior struck out 15, walked two and gave up four hits before being forced from the mound after reaching the 110-pitch count. He wiggled his way out of a two-on, two-out jam in the third.

“Tucker pitched an unbelievable game,” Cartwright said. “Jaxon did a good job coming in behind him. We made some mistakes that are correctable, but we’ve been in the gym for three weeks.”

Linsly struck first when Dom Fato singled to left leading off the bottom of the fourth. Jaxon Murray belted a drive to the gap in left-center that allowed Fato to take third, and Murray alertly took second when the throw went to third. Doty, on the first pitch he saw from Brooke starter Andrew Murdock, lifted a fly ball to left that was deep enough to allow Fato to race home.

Brooke drew even in the sixth as Murdock drew a one-out walk and Aidan Provenzano reached on an error. Both runners would move up 90 feet on a wild pitch. Murdock would score on Parker McMahon’s slow roller to short.

The Cadets had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the sixth, but a fine defensive play by Brooke kept the score even.

Chris Upton bunted for a single leading off and went to second on an errant pickoff attempt. With one out, Upton was on the move to third when Fato grounded to Gino Provenzano at short. His throw to first was in time to record the second out, but Upton never hesitated rounding third, but was nailed at the plate on a strike from first baseman Blaine Beatty to Aidan Provenzano to complete an inning-ending 6-3-2 double play.

Linsly got runner to second with no outs in the seventh, but reliever Nikos Palavis fanned three batters in a row.Zac O’Mery led off the top of the ninth with an infield single. Gino Provenzano’s fly ball to left was dropped to leave runners on first and second. Murdock bunted both runners ahead a base before Doty registered his 15th strikeout on his final pitch. Jaxon Murray relieved and retired the first batter he faced to end the threat.

The Cadets threatened again in the bottom of the ninth as Murray legged out an infield single with one out. He stole second and third, but would get no further as McMahon, the third Brooke pitcher, slammed the door.

“When you only give up one run in nine innings, that’s a pretty good day by three pitchers,” Costain said. “I’ll probably give them a couple of days off because we don’t play again until the weekend, but I’m excited about where the team is. However, there’s always room for improvement.”

O’Mery and Ty Sperringer each singled twice for Brooke’s four hits. Murray had two singles for Linsly.

Palavis struck out six in his four-inning stint.

Linsly is back in action Friday when Wheeling Central

Brooke 1, Linsly 1, 9 inn.

Brooke 000 001 000 – 1 4 1

Linsly 000 100 000 – 1 5 1

B-Murdock (3K, 0BB), Palavis (5), (6K, 1BB), McMahon (9), (1K, 0BB) and A. Provenzano; O’Mery 2S; Sperringer 2S; McMahon rbi

L-Doty (15K, 2BB), Murray (9), (2K, 1BB) and Hartley; Murray 2S; Doty SF, rbi