Having a Blast
Not able to play in the field due to injury, Brandon Wetherholt made an immediate impact at the plate for the Butler BlueSox.
The 2017 Mars High School graduate launched a two-run home run in the top of the second inning of Monday's Tri-State Collegiate League baseball game against the Butler Iron Bucks.
The shot broke the ice in a scoreless game. The Sox went on to score 13 runs in the fourth inning before posting a 17-6 victory at Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park.
Wetherholt, an outfielder, recently dove for a ball against DuBois and sustained the injury.
“I landed on my (left) elbow and jammed my shoulder,” said Wetherholt, who is now a designated hitter. “The only time it hurts when I bat is when I check-swing.”
Unfortunately for Iron Bucks' pitcher Dan Morgano, Wetherholt took a full hack at his fastball. Outfielder Colin Harger took just two steps before watching the ball clear the right-field wall in a hurry.
“I really got to that one,” said Wetherholt, who was leading Gannon University with a .364 batting average after 11 games when college sports were shut down in March.
“It was tough because we all put in so much work,” said Wetherholt, who then turned his focus toward the summer. He played in this league last year for the Pittsburgh Diamond Dawgs.
“I called my coach from last year (Scott Bischke) and he said they weren't having a team, but he contacted the BlueSox for me.”
Wetherholt was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks Monday. He was robbed of three more RBI when his shot to the left-center gap with the bases loaded was snagged by a diving Dallas Hays for the final out of the fourth inning.
Wetherholt said he will soon have an MRI on his shoulder. In the meantime, he will remain in the batting order.“He will continue to get a chance to hit because he can rake,” said BlueSox manager Dan Helgert. “He always has competitive at-bats and it's nice having someone from the (left) side of the plate.”Monday's game ended after eight innings via mercy rule (10 runs after seven innings).Sox's starting pitcher Tyler Johnson pitched just four innings to earn the win, striking out three and walking two. He allowed three runs, two coming in the bottom of the fourth after he spent nearly 40 minutes on the bench during his team's barrage in the top of the inning.“I asked him if he ever had to wait that long to go back out and pitch and he said no,” Helgert said. “He was cruising before that, but it's tough when you sit that long.”The Iron Bucks and BlueSox will both host DuBois later this week. The Bucks will play a doubleheader on Thursday while the Sox will play a single game Friday at Pullman Park.BlueSox 020 (13)00 02x — 17 18 5Iron Bucks 001 211 10x — 6 7 5W: Tyler Johnson 4 IP (3K, 2BB). L: Dan Morgano 3+ IP (3K, 4BB).BlueSox (6-5): Alex Altmire 2-1B 2R 2RBI, Ryan Lynn 1B 2B 2R 2RBI, Korey Shoupe 2-1B 2-2B 3RBI, Brandon Wetherholt HR 2RBI, Nick Reynosa 2-1B 2R 2RBIIron Bucks (3-9): Luke Virag 2B, Brody Cowen 2-1B 2RBIThursday: DuBois at Iron Bucks (DH), 6 p.m.Friday: DuBois at BlueSox, 7 p.m.
