McDonald's Stanley strong

& lt;a href=mailto:scalzo@vindy.com & gt;By JOE SCALZO & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BEAVER TWP. -- McDonald High sophomore Tyler Stanley had his best stuff of the season on Thursday. He was pitching his best game of the year. He was beating the best team in the league.
So even when South Range started to rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, he didn't get nervous, right?
"No, I was a little nervous when Rohan came up," he said.
Which one?
"Both of them."
With two out and the tying run at the plate, Stanley hit Raider senior George Rohan, but got his brother, Greg, to line out to end the game as visiting McDonald won 4-2 in an Inter-County League baseball game Tuesday.
Strong game
Stanley (3-0) pitched his first career complete game, holding the ICL champions to six hits, while striking out 10 and walking three.
"It's a moral victory," Stanley said. "We didn't win the league, but we got a win against a good team and that's going to give us confidence heading into the tournament."
Josh Camuso added two hits for the Blue Devils (9-7, 7-5 ICL), who had a 4-1 lead entering the bottom of the seventh. The Raiders rallied with two outs, but got just one run before Rohan's lineout.
"This is a big boost for us," McDonald coach Dan Williams said. "A win is nice whenever, but when it comes against the No. 8 team in the state, it's very nice."
Was it the biggest win of the season?
"I can't think of a bigger one," Williams said.
Solid season
South Range (15-3, 11-2), which clinched the league title on Wednesday with a win over Jackson-Milton, may have had a letdown, coach Tom DeChellis said.
"I was almost prepared for a letdown," said DeChellis, whose Raiders won their third straight ICL title. "I don't think as a whole we came to play. Some individuals came to play, but we didn't have the same intensity and tenacity to compete."
Still, the season has been unexpectedly good. After losing a talented senior class, DeChellis wasn't sure what to expect entering the season.
"I think they definitely went above and beyond all our expectations," he said. "But success breeds success. The kids have bought into the program and they're seeing the results. It's exciting. I hope it snowballs."
Pitcher George Rohan has been the biggest highlight for the Raiders, who have also lost to Mathews and Fitch. Rohan broke the school's season record for strikeouts in the win over the Bluejays. He has 85 in 38 innings, breaking Nate Molnar's 1997 record of 83. He also has a 21-strikeout game, which is sixth in the state all-time.
Even Thursday's loss might be a blessing in disguise.
"When you're winning, you tend to overlook the small things that really matter," DeChellis said. "I saw some things we weren't doing well and I hope I corrected them. Hopefully we'll use this loss to help us get better."
& lt;a href=mailto:scalzok@vindy.com & gt;scalzo@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;