MOUNT UNION – Schuylkill West rallied twice in the late innings to knock the Curwensville All-Stars out of the Pennsylvania VFW Teener 15-and-16 State Tournament Friday.
Three runs in the eighth inning decided what had been a tight game throughout, giving the Area II champions an 8-5 win at the Mount Union High School Field.
Curwensville had forced the extra inning with a run in the bottom of the sixth after Schuylkill West had taken a 5-4 lead with three runs in the top of the inning.
The Area VI champs out-hit the winners 10-8, but four unearned runs brought about their downfall. Of the 18 runs Curwensville pitchers gave up in the losses to Bellefonte (10-4) and Schuylkill West, 11 were unearned.
\”I feel bad for the kids, because they were right there,\” manager Denny Johns said. \”Critical breaks, for whatever reason, went against us the last two days.
\”If we could have got a timely hit in a couple of situations, we still might be playing. We stranded a lot of guys.\”
Curwensville left nine runners on base against Schuylkill West, including three in the fifth inning after grabbing a 4-2 lead with two runs, to raise its two-game total to 20.
Starters Garrett LaBorde of Curwensville and Jerry Sborz were stingy in the early going.
The teams traded runs in the first inning, Schuylkill Wes on a double by Ricky Hablett and a sacrifice fly by Sborz and Curwensville on a single by Derek Brothers and a double to left center by Wes McGarry.
In the fourth, Curwensville went in front 2-1 when Andrew Redden singled, LaBorde sacrificed and Anthony Starr singled to left.
A two-out error enabled Schuylkill West knot the count again in the top of the fifth, but Curwensville answered after Tyler Milliron doubled down the left field line and Brothers singled. Milliron scored on the back end of a double steal attempt, and Brothers escaped the rundown.
With one out, Schuylkill West relief pitcher David Hafer walked Jed Greslick, hit LaBorde and walked Nick Opaliski to force in another run, but he got a big strikeout to keep his team close.
The winners quickly tied the score for the second time on Shane Wert\’s RBI-double and an ensuing error, ending LaBorde\’s
stay on the mound.
\”Garrett did a nice job,\” Johns said. \”He threw strikes and kept them off balance. He did what we needed him to do.\”
Brothers relieved for the second day and gave up a sacrifice fly by Keith Loy, but that run was offset by Brothers\’ third hit, a double to right center, and McGarry\’s groundout in the lower sixth.
Curwensville stranded the winning run at second with two outs in the seventh, and Schuylkill West broke up the game\’s third deadlock with its trio of runs in the eighth.
A walk, a sacrifice bunt and a Curwensville miscue accounted for the deciding run. Loy singled home an insurance run and, after McGarry relieved Brothers, Casey Azbell\’s bases-loaded groundout set the final count.
Hafer punctuated his four-inning stint with a 1-2-3 eighth to secure the win.
\”He was a lefty with an awkward motion,\” Johns said. \”He did throw harder (than Sborz) and had a good curve, but his unorthodox delivery made it tough to pick up the ball. We had five hits off him, though.\”
Brothers, who surrendered only two hits and two earned runs in two innings, took the loss.
Milliron matched Brothers in the three-hit column, while Redden chipped in with a pair.
Counting the Area VI games, the Curwensville All-Stars were 3-3.
\”I want to thank Cory Bailor, Harry McGarry and Rick Redden for their help with coaching these kids for the past month,\” Johns said. \”And I want to thank the parents for all the support they\’ve given the team.\”
Bellefonte defeated Altoona 11-4 to join Central Penn Senior National in the winner\’s bracket final. Central Penn upended host Mount Union 9-5.
Punxsutawney, runner-up to Curwensville in Area VI, was eliminated by Hollidaysburg 18-9 after leading 8-1 at the end of the second inning.
Hollidaysburg, in turn, was ousted by Altoona 8-6, while Mount Union rebounded to sideline Schuylkill West 12-4.
SCHUYLKILL WEST – 8
Ricky Hablett ss 3110, Hinkel ss 1000, Tanner Troutman c 4110, Jerry Sborz p-rf 2101, Shane Wert 3b 3111, David Hafer rf-eh-p 4210, Keith Loy 1b-rf-eh 2112, David Close 2b 2110, John Cataldo 2b-3b 1010, Tyler Schaeffer lf 2000, Zack Spickler lf 1010, Casey Azbell eh-1b 3001, Scott Ney cf 1000, Tyler Sholl cf 1000. TOTALS: 30 8 5.
CURWENSVILLE – 5
Derek Brothers c-p-rf 5130, Wes McGarry 1b-cf-p 3112, Jed Greslick ss 2000, Andrew Redden 2b-c 4120, Garrett LaBorde p-1b 2000, Nick Opaliski 3b 3001, Shae Best cf-rf-lf 0000, Anthony Starr dh 4011, Alex Holland lf 4000, Tyler Milliron rf-2b 4230. TOTALS: 31 5 10 4.
Score by Innings
Schuylkill West 100 013 03 – 8 8 1
Curwensville 100 121 00 – 5 10 3
Errors – Schaeffer; McGarry, Redden, Opaliski. LOB – Schuylkill West 8; Curwensville 9. 2B – Hablett, Wert, Hafer; Brothers, McGarry, Milliron. Sac – Wert; LaBorde. SF – Sborz, Loy. SB – Brothers, Redden, Milliron.
Pitching
Schuylkill West – Sborz 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K; Hafer 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.
Curwensville – LaBorde 5-1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; Brothers 2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K; McGarry 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
HB – Hafer 1 (LaBorde); LaBorde 1 (Ney). WP- Sborz 1; Hafer 2; Laborde 2, Brothers 1. Balk – Laborde 1.
W – Hafer. L – Brothers (0-1).
