Like father, like son as Van Den Neucker pitches Gemini to TVRA title, WOSSAA berth

The Tillsonburg Gemini captured the TVRA South East championship with a 5-0 victory over the St. Thomas Parkside Stampeders Thursday, May 22 in Dorchester. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Post Correspondent

It was a full-circle moment for Tillsonburg Gemini starting pitcher Brendan Van Den Neucker.

Growing up, he both watched and learned from his dad Brent’s approach on the mound. Not a huge man relying on physical dominance, Brent could get the ball to home plate with authority, his fastball made ‘faster' by quality off-speed stuff.

“He was tiny but threw pretty hard,” credited Brendan. “A good curve.”

Thursday, May 22 at Dorchester’s Royal Field, the mentor watched his son and student throw a masterful 83-pitch gem as Tillsonburg shut out St. Thomas Parkside Stampeders 5-0 in the Thames Valley Regional Athletics South East championship game.

“I love having him there,” said the 5’7”, 140-pound Van Den Neucker, who like his dad, relied an effective fastball historically clocked up to 79 miles per hour along with a deadly curve. “He taught me how to pitch - basically all of it.”

“Fastball was there, curveball was there,” credited Gemini catcher Liam Nunn. Van Den Neucker has both a change-up and slider in his repertoire, but Nunn only called a single of the latter on the day. “Really only needed two pitches.”

Van Den Neucker was one pitch away from a complete game, exiting in the top of the seventh with two out and one on. Tanner Jacko closed it out on a four-pitch strikeout, locking up both the victory and a Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association berth Tuesday, May 27 in Exeter.

“That was one of the best if not the best game I’ve seen pitched in my 17 years in high school ball,” credited Gemini coach Derek Partlo. “He was throwing any pitch in any count - that’s tough to hit against.”

The Gemini got all the runs they would need in the bottom of the second inning, putting the pressure on the Parkside defence and reaping the rewards from its struggles. A Tye Cooper ‘hustle double’ highlighted unearned runs scored by he, Jacko and Cohen Schott.

Tillsonburg threatened to add to that 3-0 lead in the home fifth. Odin Oatway singled and Brody VanRybroeck doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. However, Parkside got out of the inning unscathed on a strikeout and nice running catch in right field.

The fact the game was far from over was underlined in the top of the sixth, the Stampeders getting two aboard on a single to left-centre and a walk, both advanced into scoring position with a two-out groundout to second. Van Den Neucker left both stranded however, ending the inning with a strikeout looking by painting the low, outside corner with a 1-2 curve ball.

Tillsonburg added a pair of welcome insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth.

“That game could have went a different way,” said Partlo. “Like any sport, you’re a little bit more relaxed when you pad your lead.”

Cooper got aboard on a throwing error at short, taking second base in a headfirst slide. Schott followed with a base on balls, bringing leadoff hitter Nathan Gaitens to the plate. He executed a tough ‘hold’ on a close two-strike offering, staying alive instead of striking out to subsequently ground a ball back to the mound which advanced both runners into scoring position.

Nunn lined the first pitch of his at-bat solidly into centre field, plating both and upping Tillsonburg’s advantage to five runs.

“Fastball,” reported Nunn, who went to the plate with a ‘yes, yes, no’ approach, looking to identify the pitch and put a good swing on it, “until you see it do anything strange.”

Unofficially, Partlo and coach Greg Hayward agreed Nunn is batting around .450 on the season, his contribution an important component of a Gemini recipe for success they hope continues at WOSSAA.

“Baseball is all about pitching and defence and timely hitting,” Partlo concluded.