PUNXSUTAWNEY – Punxsutawney first baseman Tyler Wingard hammered a two-run, walk-off homer in the seventh inning that left the Clearfield Legion baseball team stunned after the important Jefferson County League game at Rich Kuntz Memorial Field Wednesday evening.
The Post 6 Chiefs were leading 7-6 and one out away from jumping into the thick of the championship chase when Wingard\’s blast spoiled an otherwise outstanding relief pitching performance by Justin Hoffman.
A win would have moved manager Sid Lansberry\’s club to within a half-game of second-place Punxsy and two games behind first-place DuBois with four games to play.
Clearfield still has a mathematical chance to finish in a tie for first place, but the Chiefs would have to sweep four games in the next five days and get a lot of help.
With the Chiefs playing their fifth game in five days, Hoffman gave the overworked mound staff a big boost by blanking the hosts for five innings before the winners overcame a 7-5 deficit in the seventh.
Hoffman, who replaced Aaron Sayers in the second inning, had allowed only one hit and one walk going into the final frame.
Then, Dakota Bish drew a free pass and, with one out, Nick Gillung doubled. Bish scored on Tommy Bush\’s groundout before Wingard drilled his game-winner to left field.
Punxsy\’s other five runs came after Sayers got two quick outs in the first inning, with a three-run double by Chad Davis the key blow. Two walks, Zach Smith\’s RBI-double and two more walks preceded that hit.
Kyle Kline had put Clearfield on top early with a single up the middle that scored Jarrin Campman and James Zimmermann, who had walked and moved up on a wild pitch.
The Chiefs trimmed Punxsy\’s lead to 5-4 in the fourth. Bush, the Punxsy starter, walked three batters and hit Wil Bacharach to force in one run. Jacob Stumpf relieved, and Campman picked up an RBI on a forceout.
Clearfield went in front 6-5 in the fifth when Stumpf issued bases-loaded walks to Corey Bookhamer and Bacharach and added what appeared to be a big insurance run off Nick Pascuzzo in the seventh on Derek Danver\’s double, a groundout and a throwing error on pickoff attempt.
However, Wingard\’s clout handed the Chiefs their fifth one-run loss of the season and made Pasuzzo the winner.
The Chiefs, 13-11 overall, will end the regular season with their home finale against Reynoldsville Thursday and road trips to Curwensville Saturday, DuBois Sunday and Punxsutawney Monday. The latter two games are make-ups.
Jefferson County League Standings
DuBois 13-3, Punxsutawney 13-4, Clearfield 10-6, Brookville 7-11, Reynoldsville 4-13, Curwensville 4-14.
CLEARFIELD — 7
Jarrin Campman rf-cf 3111, James Zimmermann 2b 3110, Adam Jury ss 4010, Kyle Kline 1b-rf 2112, Parker Herrington lf 4110, Derek Danver 3b 2210, Justin Hoffman dh-p 4110, David Ryan cf 0000, Aaron Sayers p-rf 1000, Corey Bookhamer 1b 1001, Wil Bacharach c 1002, Matt Lonjin c 1000, Kyle Timchak pr 0000. TOTALS: 26 7 7 6.
PUNXSUTAWNEY — 8
Dave Kopas rf-cf 3000, Nick Gillung cf 4110, Tyler Grayson cf 0000, Tommy Bush p 1101, Chase Tibbs lf 1000, Tyler Wingard 1b 2212, Zach Smith 2b 3111, Jacob Stumpf dh-p 2100, Nick Pascuzzo p 0000, Austin Furman 3b 2101, Chad Davis ss 3023, Zach Martin c 2000, Dakota Bish c 0100. TOTALS: 23 8 5 8.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 200 220 1 – 7 7 2
Punxsutawney 500 000 3 – 8 5 1
Errors – Sayers, Lonjin; Bish. DP – Punxsutawney 1 (Davis, Smith and Wingard). LOB – Clearfield 9; Punxsutawney 4. 2B – Danver; Gillung, Smith, Davis. HR – Wingard. SB – Campman; Wingard, Davis.
Pitching
Clearfield – Sayers 1+ (faced 1 batter in 2nd), 2 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 2 K; Hoffman 5-2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
Punxsutawney – Bush 3+ (faced 4 batters in 4th), 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 3 K; Stumpf 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 0 K; Pascuzzo 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.
HB – Bush 1 (Bacharach). WP – Bush 1.
W – Pascuzzo. L – Hoffman (1-1).
