COUDERSPORT – When you leave fourteen runners stranded on base and commit six fielding errors you don’t stand much of a chance to come out on top.
Those were part of the final statistics that belonged to the Curwensville high school baseball team in the District 9 Class “A” quarter-finals played at Coudersport on Thursday afternoon. The Tide lost to the Falcons 10-3 in a game that was anything but pretty.
The Tide, under head coach Ryan Briskar, finish the 2009 campaign with an overall record of 12-6. The Falcons run their overall record to 15-4 and will now meet Clarion-Limestone in the District 9 semi-finals next week at a time and date yet to be determined.
Curwensville got on the board first right from the start in the top of the first inning as with two outs Brett Sutika singled and was then moved to third on a double by Sam Gardner. Coudersport starting pitcher, Brett Metzger, then walked the next two Tide hitters, Jesse Hoover and Cory Bloom, forcing in a run.
The lead for the Tide lasted until the bottom of the third when the Falcons knotted the score at one each. Three straight singles by the Falcons’ Kevin Wolfinger, Andrew Mickle and Zach Buckler did the trick for Coudersport.
Curwensville would take it’s last lead in the top of the fourth as Jed Greslick was hit by a pitch from Metzger and would later score when Sam Gardner reached base on an error with one out.
In the bottom of the fourth Coudersport put up five runs that took some of the life out of the Tide. With five hits, four singles and a double, one base on balls and three Curwensville errors, the Falcons took control of the contest and led 6-2 after four.
Coudersport would add three more in the bottom of the fifth and one in the six as they collected a total of fourteen hits. Five Falcons had two hits – Wolfinger, Metzger, Tim McCusker, Eric Babcock and Jordan Bennett. Hitting doubles were Metzger, Babcock and Bennett.
The Tide would add one more run to the scoreboard in the top of the seventh as senior Derek Dixon smacked a pinch hit home run over the left centerfield fence. For Dixon it was his fourth home run of the season.
Curwensville, as mentioned, stranded fourteen runners, was paced by three singles by Ben McGary and by Gardner cracking a double.
Playing their final game for the Golden Tide were seniors Ben McGary, Mark Dell’Antonio, Jesse Hoover, Cory Bloom, Derek Dixon, Tyler Johns, Jeff Smallwood and John Rancik.
CURWENSVILLE – 3 Ben McGary cf 5030, Wes McGarry p/rf 5010, Brett Sutika 2b 3110, Sam Gardner rf/p 2010, Jesse Hoover ss 3000, Cory Bloom c 3001, Jeff Smallwood cr 0000, Derek Brothers 3b 3010, Mark Dell’Antonio 1b 4000, Jed Greslick lf 2100, Derek Dixon ph 1111. TOTALS – 31 3 8 2
COUDERSPORT – 10 Kevin Wolfinger rf 4120, Andrew Mickle 2b/p 3010, Zach Buckler c 4011, Bret Metzger p/2b 4120, Eric Babcock cf 4120, Tim McCusker ss/3b 4221, Adam Dow 1b 4112, Evan Abplanalp 3b 3110, Nick Jolley pr 0100, Brett Whitman p 0000, Jordan Bennett lf 3223. TOTALS – 33 10 14 7
SCORE BY INNINGS R H E
CURWENSVILLE 100 100 1 3 8 6
COUDERSPORT 001 531 X 10 14 4
ERRORS – Metzger, Dow, Abplanalp, Wolfinger, Hoover 3, McGary, Gardner, Brothers. LOB – CURWENSVILLE 14 COUDERSPORT 6. 2B – Metzger, Bennett, Babcock, Gardner. HR – Dixon (7th inning, solo) SB – Greslick, McCusker. SAC – McCusker. HBP – Greslick (by Metzger).
PITCHING
CURWENSVILLE McGarry 3+ IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K Gardner 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
COUDERSPORT Metzger 4+ IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 8 K, 1 HB; Mickle 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K; Whitman 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
WP – Metzger (3-1) LP – McGarry (2-1)