DYERSEN’S 8-INNING EFFORT LIFTS HENRY

There were nights Dylan Dyersen lay in bed, his broken right ankle in a cast, and cried himself to sleep.

Friday, the senior righthander brought tears of joy to his Patrick Henry High teammates.

In just his second start of the season after breaking the ankle while running in the outfield in March, Dyersen threw an eight-inning complete game as Henry scored in the bottom of the eighth on a triple by Talin Gardini and a game-winning single by Jack Giordano to edge Christian 3-2 and claim the Eastern League championship.

In a game played at Henry before an enthusiastic crowd that jammed the stands, stood three deep, set up chairs in front of the fences and populated the berm behind the backstop, the win vaults Henry (21-7, 10-2) into the Division II playoffs most likely as the sixth seed. Christian, last year’s Division III champion, is 20-7, 9-3 and enters the Division II playoffs as a likely eight seed.

The playoff pairings will be announced this afternoon.

“So many times, I wondered if I’d get back and pitch this season,” said Dyersen, who threw two-thirds of an inning Wednesday to get the save in Henry’s wild 8-7 win at Christian.

“I was in a cast for 10 weeks. I did some throwing, some long toss. Tried to stay ready, but I didn’t know.

“I never dreamed I be the starter in the league championship

Patrick Henry 3, Christian 2

game.

“I’ve come so far. This team has come so far.”

Dyersen threw 111 pitches and wasn’t going back out for a ninth inning.

He allowed just four hits — none from the third through the seventh — walked two and struck out five.

“Dylan was a first-team allleague guy last season,” said Henry coach Sheldon Watkins. “So to lose him was a big blow.

“This team has overcome injuries all season, and Dylan is still only about 80 percent.

“But getting him back is a huge boost.”

Gardini gave Henry another huge boost with a leadoff triple in the bottom of the eighth, hammering a ball down the right-field line that eluded the dive of Nathan Cena.

Christian brought the infield and outfield in to cut off the run and Giordano hit a high fly ball down the left-field line that fell in for the game winner.

“I had to stay in the moment there,” Giordano said. “I had to put the ball in play, make them make a play. I would have been happy with a sacrifice fly.

“Christian is a really good team. We just played three onerun games with them (3-2 Christian, 8-7 Henry and 3-2 Henry). And we were behind in all three games.

“So there was no panic. We knew we could get it done.”