ORWIGSBURG – The weather was brutal … burrrr!

But you would have never known it by the performance of the starting pitchers.

The cold, windy conditions at Blue Mountain High School didn’t seem to impact the pitchers as much as the hitters as the Eagles pulled away late for a 5-0 non-league win over Northwestern.

Before the Eagles erupted for their first rally in the home fifth, there were a lot more runny noses than runs on the scoreboard.

That’s because the two starting pitchers were bringing it with authority.

Blue Mountain’s Brian Gromley was filthy with his diving curve ball that just fell off the table. He had the Tigers reaching and missing with their bats the entire game, firing a no-hitter.

“He didn’t play basketball this season, and worked hard both in the gym and in the weight room,” said Eagles’ coach Jarrod Kramer.

The smooth throwing right-hander struck out 12 Northwestern batters and issued three walks.

“He’s shown the ability to be dominate like that since he was a sophomore,” said Kramer. “We can’t teach a guy to throw that good of a curveball … it’s a hall of fame curveball that he has.”

While Gromley was overpowering, Northwestern starter Justin Farber was nothing short of stellar early in the game himself.

Farber was perfect before yielding a hit to Tim Miller in the home half of the fourth - the first baserunner for the home club.

“We were really good in the first four or five innings,” said Northwestern coach Brian Palaha. “We had to make plays behind Justin, which we did. But our bats never come through. I know it was cold, but it was cold for them too. They just did a better job (hitting) than we did.”

Farber was sensational during his stint on the bump, prior to leaving in the home sixth. Farber motored along, retiring the first nine batters he faced, before Miller’s single.

Meanwhile, the Tigers’ biggest threat came when Elie Zimmerman and Carman Fitch drew back-to-back two-out walks in the third, but they were stranded when Gromley reared back and fanned the next batters.

Blue Mountain finally broke up the scoreless battle in the home fifth, striking for three runs. A pair of clutch singles off the bats of Vernon Kleckner and Grant Brensinger - the latter knocking in a run - combined with a throwing error off a bunt accounted for the scoring.

Blue Mountain capped off its win with a pair of runs in the sixth. Singles by Aiden Grace and Kleckner set the table for the two-run outburst.

“You can’t win many ball games with no hits,” Palaha said. “But give Gromley credit. He was ready to go, and he got better as the game went on.”

BY THE NUMBERS … Both pitchers looked impressive, especially considering it’s the first week of the season and how cold it was. They both had good stuff and great command.

NEW DIGS … Blue Mountain had its stadium redone. It now has infield turf to go along with outfield grass, and for the first-time lights have been installed. Penn State Schuylkill Campus uses the facility, and dug into its pockets to help the refurb.

TRADITION HAS IT … Blue Mountain has always been a traditional baseball school from the early 60s. Jarrod Kramer’s father, Tom Kramer, had a super-run as the manager at the school and a year ago his son led the program to a District 11 Class 4A title.

YOU GOT LIKE … The Tigers will make noise this spring. They’ve got a superb shortstop in Cole Dynda. The kid is smooth and can field with the best. Keep an eye on catcher Justin Augustus, too.

Northwestern 000 000 0 - 0 0 2

Blue Mountain 000 032 x - 5 4 0

Farber, Carson (6) and Augustus; Gromley and Brensinger. W - Gromley. L - Farber.