MINERSVILLE — There was a bit of a blip for the Panther Valley baseball team in its season opener.

It lost to Tri-Valley, 8-0. That’s the downside. The upside for this raw, untested club: it can only get better.

The annual Russ Rothermel Memorial Tournament has been a constant for several decades. It continued as usual Friday in cool, damp weather, but with a new matchup set for Saturday’s championship round.

Rothermel, a 1966 graduate of Minersville Area High School, was drafted by the Houston Astros. The tournament is held annually in his honor following his death from cancer.

First-pitch duties were handled by Mia Toth, Rothermel’s granddaughter, who threw to her brother, Luke Toth.

Shenandoah Valley pulled off an upset, defeating host Minersville 6-4 in the opener.

Things didn’t go according to plan for Panther Valley. The team avoided early trouble, despite some missteps by Tri-Valley, but the Bulldogs built a 3-0 lead after three innings without an earned run and used dominant pitching to secure the shutout.

Tri-Valley pitchers Braeden Doyle, Peyton Schley, Gavin Klock and Owen Miller combined on a two-hit shutout with 17 strikeouts. Schley led the offense, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Miller added two hits and scored three runs. The Bulldogs also drew nine walks and stole seven bases.

Tri-Valley scored a run in the second inning off Panther Valley’s top pitcher, Danny Wehr, who escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first. The Bulldogs added to their lead with an unearned run in the second after a two-out single by Bruso and an error.

The lead grew to 3-0 in the third when Klock walked, Miller singled and Schley delivered an RBI single. A throwing error on a pickoff attempt allowed another run to score.

“Danny had a rough outing and we had a pitch count on him,” Panther Valley coach Rich Evanko said. “No excuses, but when you go outside and throw versus throwing in the gym it’s totally different.”

Panther Valley threatened in the third. Brody Breiner reached on an error, stole second and Peter Kruslicky walked. But Schley responded with back-to-back strikeouts and got help from third baseman Danny Lazar, who made a key defensive play to end the inning.

Lazar fielded a hard grounder by Gavin Yuricheck and stepped on third base for the force out.

“That kid made one heck of a play, if it goes through (for a hit) we score two runs there and we are down just 3-2,” Evanko said.

Tri-Valley added on late. Schley doubled to open the fifth and scored on an opposite-field single by Mike Zetticki to make it 4-0.

The Bulldogs broke it open with three runs in the sixth, using three singles and two errors. Stewart led off with a hit, Klock added an RBI single and errors allowed two more runs before Schley drove in his third run.

“I’ll tell you I was impressed the way Breiner threw the ball,” Evanko said. “We have six holes to fill, so it’s early. We’ll come around, though we have a few rough games coming up. But, overall, we need to start hitting, but hitting in the cage (indoor) is a lot different when you get outside.

“We did miss a few balls (for errors), then again your (depth) perception from inside to outside is a huge difference.”

FIRST TIME ... It’s a tough way to open the season without a field to practice on. PV has been limited to practicing in a parking lot — a clear disadvantage.

QUOTABLE ... “You make 17 (strike) outs and only put the ball in play four times, it doesn’t work in your favor,” Evanko said.

NOT BAD ... If the Panthers can get more work in, especially batting practice, they have the potential to improve. The roster includes hard-working players capable of surprising.

SOLID OUTING ... Breiner showed strong potential in relief of Wehr, displaying a lively fastball and a good feel for the game.

DAWGS CAN PLAY ... Tri-Valley is without two seniors who opted out, but remains a strong team. Schley, a left-hander, showed good movement but is still refining his command.

HITTERS ... Panther Valley recorded two hits, from Breiner and Gabe Perilli. Tri-Valley was led by Schley with three hits, Miller with two and one each from Rob Kasalavge and Klock.

Tri-Valley 012 013 1 - 8 8 1

Panther Valley 000 000 0 - 0 2 6

Doyle, Schley (3), Klock (5) Miller (7) and Troutman; Wehr, Breiner (3), Perilli (5) and Koerbler. W - Klock. L - Wehr.

Records: Tri-Valley (1-0); Panther Valley (0-1).