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HALLAM -- When the velocity on his fastball went down, Travis Stump rose to the occasion by finding other ways to record outs.
"Earlier in my career, I had more strikeouts," the Hallam left-hander said. "Now, it's put the ball in play and let the defense make the plays."
That's the strategy that Stump, who's in his 16th season, employed on Thursday evening, when he pitched the Express to a 7-1 Susquehanna League victory over Windsor.
Stump struck out four and walked one, the third batter of the game. He allowed nine hits, but eight of them were singles. His teammates played errorless ball behind him.
Stump's appearance came one game after he reached a milestone, 100 career victories.
"It's great (to hit
In 10 seasons at Felton and six at Hallam, Stump has won almost three of every four decisions. His overall career record is a sparkling 101-36 (73.7 winning percentage).
He's one of two pitchers on the Hallam staff with 100 or more victories. Jake Schoelkoph is also a member of the elite club.
"I don't know how many guys in the league have done it, but the fact that I'm catching two of them is really neat," Hallam catcher Justin Seitz said. "We joked with Stumpie last year because he had 98 (victories), and we knew he had to come back this year."
Stump's return to the diamond was delayed this year. He underwent hernia surgery in May. Since coming back, he's 3-1.
Seitz has watched Stump's transition from a power pitcher to someone who relies on a variety of pitches.
"His last couple of years, when he lost velocity, he added a sidearm pitch and changed his arm angle a lot," Seitz said. "And he added a knuckleball."
Hallam manager Rod Seitz, Justin's father, said that when Stump is on the mound, he knows that his team is going to be in the game.
"He's had a hell of a career," Rod Seitz said. "He had a really nice breaking ball tonight. It really worked. They had a lot of lefties in their lineup."
Windsor scored its only run off Stump in the first inning when Roy Walker doubled to right-center field, took third on a wild pitch and scored when Shawn Wilson reached on a fielder's choice play.
Hallam answered right back with a run in the bottom of the first and took the lead for good with another run in the second. The Express then provided Stump a cushion by scoring four times in the third.
Jon Benchich went 3-for-3 for the winners, and Joe Strayer and Jaron Shimmel supplied two hits apiece. Strayer drove in two runs.
Shimmel, who batted .330 this spring as a junior at Texas A&M International University, doubled twice and scored three runs. The Express' leadoff hitter and center fielder, he did an outstanding job of tracking down balls in center field.
Walker collected three hits for Windsor.
Wilson, one of the league's top players over the years, had to leave the game in the third inning when a ground ball took a bad hop and struck him above an eye.
Windsor pitcher Tyler Runkle drove 10 hours from Indiana to get to Thursday's game. Other than the third inning, when he was charged with four runs, Runkle pitched pretty well.
The evening, though, like so many over the years, belonged to Stump.
How many more evenings he'll spend on the mound remains to be seen. Stump is in his mid-30s now, and with three children (11, 8 and 6) playing ball, his outstanding career could be winding down.
"I've been playing since I was 6, and mom and dad came to my games," he said. "But the kids are playing now, and they're first priority. When they're playing, I go there. I'm taking it year to year, and when there are too many conflicts (with family obligations), it will be time to stop."
OTHER SUSQUEHANNA LEAGUE GAMES
YORK TOWNSHIP 6, EAST PROSPECT 0: At Township, Austin Calaman recorded seven strikeouts while not walking a single batter in pitching the complete-game shutout. The right-hander, who will play at York College beginning next year, allowed six hits, all singles. After being blanked for three innings, Township broke through for a run in the fourth. The winners added another run in the fifth and four runs in their final at-bat. Derek Pitzer and Ryan Leader collected two hits and two RBIs apiece for Township. Ryan Saxman was 2-for-2 for Prospect, and Dan Wecker was 2-for-3.
RED LION 11, STE WARTSTOWN 4: At Stewartstown, Red Lion used a six-run fourth to snap a 2-2 tie en route to the victory. Jason Enoch and D.J. Ream combined for six hits and five RBIs for the winners, and Austin Hinkle added two hits. Adam Allshouse (3-for-4) and Josh Hare (2-for-5) were Stewartstown's leading hitters. Joe Doyle pitched the complete game for Red Lion. Doyle racked up 10 strikeouts but also yielded 11 hits.
CONRADS 17, FELTON 1: At Felton, after trailing 1-0 after the first inning, the visitors scored 17 unanswered runs. Brandon Miller led Conrads, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Kevin Keesey (2-for-3), Brandon Dietz (2-for-3, RBI), Anthony Ferrell (2-for-5, RBI), Andrew Gideon (2-for-2), Nick Root (2-for-2, RBI) and Cole Heffner (double) also excelled at the plate. Conrads starting pitcher Randy Stewart went five innings, allowing just one run, to pick up the victory. For Felton, Zeke Ottemiller went 2-for-3, including a double, while Glen Dietrich doubled.
JACOBUS 11, COLUMBIA 3: At Columbia, Josh Hildebrand picked up the victory on the mound. Paul Giulio absorbed the loss.
-- Reach Dick VanOlinda at dvanolinda@yorkdis patch.com or 505-5407.
