Greensburg 12-year-old hits for the cycle

Tyler Hood is going to realize some day what he did on the baseball field is rare.

For now, though, the 12-year-old South Greensburg native would rather run around and play with his friends than brag about his accomplishment.

Hood, who plays for the Southwest Greensburg Gators, hit for a natural cycle -- single, double, triple and home run in succession -- during a recent game against Jeannette.

What makes the feat even more impressive, Hood, who was born without a right hand, hit the home run out of the park in dramatic fashion. There were two outs and one on in the bottom of the seventh inning when he cracked the home run to tie the score. It was the first home run of his career.

Southwest Greensburg went on to win the game in eight innings.

"When I stepped into the batter's box, I was thinking if I made an out, I'd lose the game," Tyler Hood said. "I was just trying to hit the ball hard. When I hit it, I didn't know it went over until I heard my dad (Doug) say something. It was exciting."

The disability hasn't stopped or deterred him from playing sports. Hood also plays soccer, and has played football.

In fact, he shrugged off the feat and seemed embarrassed by all of the attention.

His parents, Doug and Sandy Hood, and the people who watch him play are proud of what he did.

The Hoods said they encourage their son to do everything he can, and they don't want him treated differently. He started playing baseball at age 5.

"We don't want Tyler to receive any special treatment," Sandy Hood said. "I want him to be able to, 100 percent, take care of himself. He's never had the other hand.

"We're used to seeing what he does. We do what we can to help him succeed."

Sandy Hood said that other players are very accepting when it comes to playing alongside her son.

"They see what Tyler can do and say, 'OK lets go play,' " Sandy Hood said. "Sometimes, he has to prove himself to adults that he's capable of doing things like everyone else."

"Tyler doesn't like the limelight at all," Doug Hood said. "When he hit the home run, we were excited for him. He did it on his sister's (Kelsey, 9) birthday."

Doug Hood said because he was involved in baseball and fast-pitch softball, he wanted his son to experience the game.

When Tyler bats, he holds it with his left hand and steadies the bat with his right arm. When the pitch is released, he takes a mighty cut by using his body and left arm.

He ripped a triple Saturday when Southwest Greensburg defeated the Greensburg Tigers in a recreation league playoff game at Delmont.

While Tyler isn't surprised by his success on the field, opposing coaches, his coach and parents are.

"It's pretty incredible to watch him play," said Greensburg Tigers coach Ron Burkley, who also coached Tyler when he was getting started. "He's a very good player and an inspiration to other players. We treated him like an ordinary player, even though he is extraordinary."

Hood plays first base, the outfield and has pitched, though he prefers not to.

Gators coach Ron Holtzer said Tyler also is a great fielder.

"Once he made a play when he was pitching," Holtzer said. "There was a pop-up in front of the mound. He charged in and caught the ball with his glove. Then he was able to flip the ball to first base to complete a double play. It was a remarkable play.

"When he hit for the cycle, he hit everything hard that day. It was his best performance of the season."