Standing at 6-1, Royalton-Hartland's Charlie Bruning is an imposing presence on the hill and he's quickly established himself as an ace in Western New York.
A year ago as a freshman he went 5-1 and tossed the first no-hitter of his high school career.
"You never would have known he was a freshman. In terms of his baseball ability, and his approach to the game, it's just much more mature than most freshman are."
Behind a four-seam and two-seam fastball, along with a wicked curve and change up, the righty has picked up right where he left off for the Rams.
In their season opening win over Maritime, Bruning along with teammates Ben Schwab and Tim Maines combined to throw a no-hitter.
"It felt good to be on the mound again," Bruning said. "It was a good start for the season."
A week later, the sophomore was toeing the rubber again and this time fired a gem of his own, recording another no-hitter in his young career.
"He's one of those guys that gets stronger as the game goes," coach said. "If can get through the first and second inning, it's almost like, last week when he was in cruise control."
"One out at a time. Just go out there and throw strikes," he said. "It's pretty cool. I try not to think about it when I'm on the mound. Not talk about it and see what the outcome is."
"You don't really expect the no-hitters. I think that every time Charlie gets the ball, he's physically and mentally locked in," coach added. "He's going to give you a good performance and a chance to win. When he gets the ball, we know we're going to be in for a good game."
***SUPER 7 COUNTDOWN***
#1 – Charlie Bruning, Royalton-Hartland
Has combined to throw two no-hitters this season for the Rams.
#2 – Jess Weaver, Williamsville East Softball
Was the winning pitcher in the Flames’ win 19-1 over Lake Shore. She also went 5-for-5 at the plate with 4 RBIs as East improved to 2-0.
#3 – Arielle Brown, Mount Mercy Lacrosse
Scored three goals and added two more assists in a 12-6 win over St. Mary’s of Lancaster.
“Arielle was a big contributor to Mt.Mercy's win against St. Mary's of Lancaster. She was able to break down the defense and get past the defenders to score three goals. Arielle was also able to feed her teammates with solid passes which lead to goals and ended the game with 3 goals and 2 assists!" - Beth Schroeder, Head Coach
#4 – Megan Kyte, Nichols Softball
15 strikeouts in a win over North Tonawanda, and drove in two runs in the victory.
“Megan is a freshman pitcher who throws hard, moves the ball well with different pitches.
The Nichols Vikings are a young, talented squad this year (3 seniors, 8 sophomores, 5 freshmen). Megan is a confident pitcher who has pitched in high pressure games before. We will be looking to her to lead by example and work hard on the mound and at the plate.” – Holly Kemp, Head Coach
#5 – Dawit Martin, Niagara-Wheatfield Lacrosse
Scored five goals to power the Falcons past Lake Shore 18-5 as the squad improved to 3-1 on the season.
"Dawit is a creative goal scorer at attack. He's a great team player who's always looking to make the extra pass for his teammate's better scoring opportunity." - Vince Schiffert, Head Coach
#6 – Mattie Klein, Akron Softball
“Klein plays in the moment; in every game this season the defense has allowed the opponent to take the lead. She just goes to the mound and works hard. Her years of experience and leadership on the team are clearly contributing to our early season success.” – Marlene Stone, Head Coach
#7 – Bryce Jellinick, Grand Island Baseball
Pitched the Vikings to victory tossing 6.2 innings and striking out 10 in a 6-2 win over Niagara Wheatfield.
