Billy Armstrong unbelievable pitching performance 2010
Billy Armstrong: Forget about pitch count: 12 innings, 190 pitches = 24 strikeouts
copyright Republican-American Roger Cleveland
Terryville 2, Tri-Town 1: Billy Armstrong struck out 24 batters and allowed only one hit in 12 innings Sunday to lead the Terryville Black Sox to a 2-1 victory over the Tri-Town Trojans in a 16-inning Tri-State League game at Community Field. “I am still in shock,” said Terryville manager Jim Mischke, who also caught all 16 innings. “I have been a catcher since I was 7 years old, and I never seen anything like it. It’s the most unbelievable performance I have ever been part of, and I’ve been catching 28 years.” Armstrong, who just finished his junior season as a pitcher for the Western Connecticut State University baseball team, threw 190 pitches in the game before giving way to Tyler Wenz, who struck out five himself in four scoreless innings of relief. Armstrong walked five batters. “He just kept throwing and saying, ‘No, I’m not ready to come out. I’m not ready to come out,’” Mischke said. “It was just an awesome performance. I think he only threw 6-7 curveballs all day because he had a really good fastball and his changeup was just fantastic. The combination worked perfectly, and he just kept them off balance the whole game.”
Wenz (2 hits) not only pitched the final four innings for the win, but he also scored the winning run. He led off the 16th inning with his second single of the game, went to second when a batter was hit with a pitch, advanced to third on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Larose and scored on a fielder’s choice by Mischke. Armstrong and Wenz combined on a four-hitter while Tri-Town’s Miles Scribner and Andy Dooley combined on a five-hitter. Scribner, Armstrong’s teammate and roommate at Western, also pitched 12 innings and struck out 10. Casey McDonald had the only hit against Armstrong, an RBI double. Terryville is now 2-2 while Tri-Town falls to 3-2.