Bald Eagle Area junior third baseman Carson Nagle catches a pop fly during a game. TIM WEIGHT FILE PHOTO

Bald Eagle Area’s roster may have changed from last season, but the team’s principles and dynamics are still the same. Following Bald Eagle Area’s District 6 Class AA state title victory in a dominating 11-0 rout, away went nine seniors with the championship. Somehow, that whole magical journey has fueled this current team’s ability to separate itself within the district.

Bald Eagle won its 10th consecutive game with a doubleheader sweep over the Tyrone Golden Eagles, 11-7 and 13-3, Wednesday afternoon at Doc Etters Field. The Eagles’ two wins were impressive with 26 hits, but Bald Eagle went deep within its team at a pivotal point in the season with the postseason around the corner.

The Eagles revealed the versatility and team dynamic that is on full display up and down the lineup, pitchers and hitters, and that alone makes for a dangerous team as districts round the corner.

“What I think is so good about this group is that we can hit through the entire lineup and no one feels pressure. Everybody can just go in there and have fun and have a pass-the-bat mentality,” Bald Eagle Area coach James Gardner said. “It’s really what you want so no one is shouldering that pressure in any one at-bat.”

Seniors Tayten Yoder and Weston McClain shared pitching duties with relief work from Teagun Runkle in game one. McClain’s abilities haven’t been unheard of this season. He’s thrown a no-hit shutout against a crosstown rival in Bellefonte already and was no different Wednesday in his five strikeout, six-inning game one performance.

Three Bald Eagle Area players and coach James Gardner look on during a game earlier this season. TIM WEIGHT FILE PHOTO

Yoder, who hadn’t pitched an official game last season, pitched game two and put the Eagles in position for a sweep by throwing five strikeouts and giving up just three walks in five innings. McClain and Yoder had different roles last year. Yoder was a streaky hitter as he led Bald Eagle in hits and was second in home runs behind then-designated hitter Carson Nagle.

McClain was on the shorter end of the rotation of pitchers who didn’t see much of the field with Bald Eagle’s nine seniors, but he’s making a strong impression in his final outing. As if picking up the win on the hill during game one wasn’t enough, McClain hit a two-run jack in the bottom of the second inning of Wednesday’s game, leading to a 2 for 3 performance at the plate with three RBIs. Before picking up a win on the hill, Yoder hit a solo homer after teammate Gavin Burns blasted one.

The two are part of Bald Eagle’s all-around squad that plays like a majority of its roster didn’t just win a championship last season.

“Weston (McClain) and I pitched (Wednesday) and he’s our (designated hitter) and we both had pretty good days at the plate,” Yoder said. “It’s nice to have people who can hit and pitch.”

That’s BEA’s motto essentially, and it gives the rest of the team confidence to live up to those expectations. Bald Eagle registered at least two hits in six of the seven innings in game one of Wednesday’s game and opened the game with four.

Bald Eagle Area senior pitcher Weston McClain throws a pitch during a game earlier this season. TIM WEIGHT FILE PHOTO

And when the game begins to slow down, like it did in game two, the Eagles find ways to cobble hits and bat around in at least one inning.

Bald Eagle totaled six hits and scored eight runs in the bottom of the second inning of the second game which in turn helped them 10-run rule Tyrone and keep them out of it.

For a pitcher to go against that many talented batters that see the ball well and know their pitch to hit, it’s tough. Bald Eagle has a way of consistently keeping opposing pitchers on their heels of ball placement.

Yoder and McClain may have the confidence to hop on the mound and step up to the plate to put on brilliant performances, but that doesn’t happen without their teammates. McClain currently leads the team in batting average but Mansfield commit Kahale Burns, the leadoff hitter, leads the team in doubles, triples and stolen bases and Gavin Burns, a Lycoming College commit, leads the team in hits and runs and is second in batting average.

Nagle, who’s always been the team’s power hitter, continues his onslaught with a team-leading three homers, is tied for first with 24 RBIs and is second on the team in doubles. Lycoming College commit Gavin Burns has come on strong for the Eagles, leading the team in batting average (.492), on-base percentage (.630), runs (30) and hits (29). Gavin also has two homers and seven stolen bases, where he’s second on the team.

The Eagles truly have a complete team and each player fulfills the role of stepping up to the plate and picking up what each teammate puts down.

“In tough times they’re really resilient,” coach Gardner said. “They showed up big last year in the playoffs, never seeming to be bothered by pressure. As a group that’s how they are and also as individuals and it shows.”

STAYING CONFIDENT

McClain’s appearances at the plate are a recent strategy of coach Gardner’s. The senior was recently entered into Bald Eagle’s lineup earlier in the season but was pulled back. Following a 1 for 3 stint at the plate with two RBIs in Bald Eagle’s 13-1 rout of Central Martinsburg, McClain has become BEA’s go-to multi-dimensional player, throwing strikeouts and retiring batters on the hill while making critical hits at the plate.

McClain followed up his one-hit game against Central with a three hit, two-RBI, two-run game in a win against Bishop Guilfoyle before his gutsy doubleheader performance against Tyrone. He even registered one hit in BEA’s third game in as many days against Bishop Carroll. He’s a tall, long-armed kid who has a good eye for the ball.

“We tried Weston (McClain) earlier in our lineup as a hitter and he wasn’t there, but I decided to give him a shot a couple of weeks ago and he delivered so now he’s earned that spot,” coach Gardner said. “He’s been coming through ever since. He’s nailed down the seventh spot in the lineup and we’re pleased with him in that. Overall, he’s helping the team be stronger.”

Yoder can arguably be tabbed one as well. His batting numbers may be down some, but Yoder is still the same confident hitter he was during his junior season when his numbers were superb.

It may not be the way Yoder wants to be hitting the ball in his final high school season, especially given the contributions he made at the plate last year. But his role is different this year, and equally important, his teammates back him up at the plate. In BEA’s first season as a member of the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference (LHAC), the Eagles played more teams in its conference than ever before and the rain didn’t help, forcing many doubleheaders.

More games alone calls for multiple pitchers to make way to the hill, but with two games in one day, something BEA’s done twice this season, means various players have to step up both at the plate and on the mound.

The Eagles handle that at the plate collectively, but Yoder can now say he’s been a part of this veteran laden team’s rise of various pitchers.

“They put all their trust in me and they tell me they’re confident in me,” Yoder said. “That makes me confident to be able to go out there and perform to the best of my ability.”

Zach Powell can be reached at zpowell@lockhaven.com. Follow him on Twitter @RealZachPowell.