Game 1 to Providence. Eli Jerzembeck’s big night gets Panthers past TC Roberson
Tuesday night, in Game 1 of the N.C. 4A Western Regional championship series, Providence High pitcher Eli Jerzembeck showed why he could be a Major League Draft pick in a few weeks.
Mixing his pitches brilliantly, Jerzembeck struck out 16 batters and led the Panthers to a 10-0 win over Skyland’s TC Roberson High.
Game 2 of the best-of-3 series is Thursday at Roberson.
“He (Jerzembank) has been good all year long,” Providence coach Danny Hignight said. “He was really, really good without a doubt. Him and Tommy Walker have been quite a tandem this year getting it done so we are excited about that.”
After a close 4-3 victory in the previous round of the NCHSAA 4A Playoffs against West Forsyth, head coach Danny Hignight felt his team got lucky to advance and they would have to play better heading into the semifinals. The Panthers, ranked No. 3 nationally, came out hot Tuesday, although Roberson didn’t use any of their top pitchers against Jerzembeck.
And it might’ve hard for any pitcher to get a win against him Tuesday.
The South Carolina commit had a near-perfect game only allowing one hit in the six-inning affair. Jerzembank mixed in a variety of fastballs and curveballs that had the Rams’ batters confused all game long.
“Playing mind games is what I like to do,” Jerzembank said. “I just would switch up the pitches in each count. I would throw a 3-2 curveball or a 3-0 curveball.”
While the 16 strikeouts are the headliner, the Panthers’ bats were also a major factor in the win as the team tallied 13 hits during the game as well. After the first two Panther batters failed to get on base, Tommy Walker stepped up to the plate and hit a ball well over the fence in the left-center field giving the Panthers the 1-0 advantage.
The Panthers scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth after scoring three runs in the previous two innings. Needing just one run in the bottom of the sixth to end the game on a 10-0 mercy rule, it was Walker who stepped up big for the Panthers driving in the 10th run of the game, ending it just short so Jerzembank didn’t have to come out in the seventh.
Jerzembank spoke to just what it meant for coach Hignight to have such high confidence in him coming into this game.
“It means everything,” Jerzembank said. “Just to know you have a coach that has as much confidence as you have in yourself, it is completely awesome and I couldn’t ask for a better coach.”
Coach Hignight knows that despite the dominant win tonight, the Rams will be ready come Thursday for Game 2 of the series. He knows it will take another top performance by his team to get the sweep.
“It’s going to take a great performance by us,” Hignight said. “They are a good club; they are in the regional final for a reason.”
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Eli Jerzembeck, Providence: The South Carolina commit seemed to do no wrong. He only allowed one hit on the night, a ball that just barely got by the second baseman. The variance of his pitches was crucial to keep the Rams’ batters on edge all game long.
Tommy Walker, Providence: A perfect 4-for-4 night, including a home run and a double. Walker was zoned in and waited for his pitch every at-bat, and as a result, ended perfectly at the plate.
Collin McDougall, Providence: Another 4-for-4 night for the Panthers as McDougall was able to reach the bases every time at-bat as well. Along with his hot bat, he also secured some outs for the Panthers as well in the field.
WORTH MENTIONING
▪ The Rams weren’t helping themselves this game allowing a few Panther runs to score on fielding errors.
▪ T.C. Roberson went through four pitchers on the night while Providence only played Jerzembank.
WHAT’S NEXT
▪ Providence will travel to Roberson, in the Asheville area, for the second game of the best of 3 series. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY
T.C. Roberson: 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0
Providence: 1 1 2 5 0 1 – 10
WP: Eli Jerzembank (6.0 IP, 16 K, 1 BB, 0 ER)
LP: Caleb Baker (2.0 IP, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 ER)
