Jamestown Tarp Skunks second baseman Aiden Dunlap throws to first base during Saturday's Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League game against the Newark Pilots at Diethrick Park in Jamestown. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

With Patrick DeMarco lost for the season due to an arm injury, the Jamestown Tarp Skunks were in need of pitching help.

Enter Joe Reitebach.

The Gannon University right-hander threw 5 2/3 fairly effective innings before tiring late and Jamestown gave him eight runs of support while he was on the mound en route to a 10-7 Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League West Division victory over the Newark Pilots on Saturday night at Diethrick Park.

“Joe was supposed to come to us last year but had an injury. When Pat went down, he came in to replace him,” Jamestown head coach Jordan Basile said. “He did a good job tonight. He just showed up today and did a good job.”

Reitebach, a 2020 Hamburg High School graduate, allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks while striking out three. He threw 65 of his 105 pitches for strikes as the Tarp Skunks won their second straight game to improve to 9-6 on the season.

Jamestown Tarp Skunks starting pitcher Joe Reitebach delivers to the plate during Saturday's Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League game against the Newark Pilots at Diethrick Park in Jamestown. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

“He’s one of the guys that is going to stretch out as long as possible,” Basile added. “He got a little tired at the end, but he competed for us all game long.”

Jamestown pounded out 10 hits on the evening, a night after totaling just three hits in a 5-2 eight-inning win over the Niagara Power. The Tarp Skunks did not have a hit in their final five innings Friday at Sal Maglie Stadium.

“Our approach has been good. We had about a week where we weren’t as disciplined at the plate as we’d like to be,” Basile said. “The swings are coming along.”

Switch-hitting shortstop Grady Mee went 2 for 4 with a double and two RBIs Saturday out of the No. 2 hole. Batting from the left side against Pilots starting pitcher Angelo Deer, Mee had both of hits, including an RBI single in the third inning to make it 1-0. Later in the game, the Western Michigan University product drove in a run on a sacrifice fly off Niagara left-hander Colt Bartling.

“He’s a guy that is playing really well,” Basile said of Mee. “We’re happy to have him.”

Jamestown Tarp Skunks shortstop Grady Mee throws to first base during Saturday's Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League game against the Newark Pilots at Diethrick Park in Jamestown. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

Jamestown took control of the game with a five-run fifth inning. The Tarp Skunks didn’t really need their bats that inning. The Pilots gave them their runs.

Aiden Dunlap (Youngstown State University) opened the inning with a walk and stole a pair of bases off Newark reliever John Sanchez before Zack Kent (Wagner College) was hit by a pitch. After Kent stole second, the Pilots nearly got out of the inning with a groundout and a pop-up, but the third out of the inning became elusive. Matt Thompson (Youngstown State University) was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Sanchez walked Brayden Johnson (Western Kentucky University) to force in a run.

Newark then turned to reliever Owen Donohue, who had even more control problems than Sanchez. Donohue walked Henry Juan (Williams College) to force in another run before hitting both Drew Garth (Washington & Jefferson College) and Tommy Goggins (Princeton University) to make it 7-1. With Ryan Mittelman (University of Tampa) at the plate, Juan scored on a passed ball and runners moved up to second and third.

Donohue eventually walked Mittelman, but Garth was caught in a rundown between third and home when he forgot the bases weren’t loaded and he made the final out of the inning at home plate.

“It was a brain lapse. He was trying to walk to the plate,” Basile said. “That was us taking a big lead and not having focus all the way through nine innings.”

Jamestown Tarp Skunks relief pitcher Ryan Rafalski delivers to the plate during Saturday's Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League game against the Newark Pilots at Diethrick Park in Jamestown. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

Newark made it 8-5 in the top of the sixth inning with four runs, the final two inherited runners scoring on a Harris McReynolds two-run single off Jamestown reliever Ryan Rafalski (Mercyhurst University), who threw the final 3 1/3 innings of five-hit, two-run ball while striking out five and walking one.

“He gave up a couple of soft hits and other plays we should’ve made,” Basile said. ” … Other than that, Ryan came in and threw strikes, did what we needed him to do.”

The Tarp Skunks will entertain Niagara at 2 p.m. today with Evan Berta (Fairfield University) taking the mound for Jamestown.

“They’re a tough team,” Basile said of the Power. “They have good baseball players.”