CLEARFIELD – Brandon Orsich hurled a four-hitter and had a pair of run-scoring singles to lead the Clearfield Little League 10-and-11 All-Stars to an 11-1 victory over Pleasant Gap in their District 5 Tournament opener at McNamee Field Tuesday evening.
Thomas Summers and Travis Ogden had two hits and one RBI apiece for the winners.
Evan Brown singled home two runs in the seven-run outburst that ended the game because of the 10-Run Mercy Rule in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Pleasant Gap took a short-lived 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a bunt single by Aaron Witherite and a hard grounder through the box by Jesse McCartney, who had two hits.
In the lower second, Clearfield got a break when Orsich\’s pop-up behind the mound fell between three Pleasant Gap players, tying the score. Moments later, Noah Cline dashed home with the game-winning run on a wild pitch.
Ogden singled inside third and scored on pinch-hitter Harley Rothrock\’s two-out single up the middle in the third.
An unearned run in the fourth made it 4-1, setting the stage for the fifth-inning uprising that was set in motion by four consecutive walks, Cline getting the RBI.
Brown quickly made it 7-1 with his sharp grounder through a drawn-in infield, and Orsich and Summers followed with RBI-singles.
With two outs, Dan Collins walked and scored behind Summers when Ogden\’s solid single to center was misplayed, ending the game.
Orsich went the distance, striking out eight and walking only one.
Clearfield will be at home again Thursday in a winner\’s bracket semifinal against State College National, which blanked Curwensville 11-0 in 3-1/2 innings.
PLEASANT GAP — 1
Jayden Boone cf-p-2b 2000, Gunner Eble 2b-p 3010, Nick Hess p-1b 2000, Chase Gardner ss 2000, Aaron Witherite lf-cf 2110, Timmy Benford 1b-rf 2000, Jesse McCartney 3b 2021, Vince Peters c 2000, Clayton Wenrick rf 1000, Tyler Lucas rf-lf 1000. TOTALS: 19 1 4 1.
CLEARFIELD — 11
Noah Cline ss 3201, Evan Brown 2b-cf 3112, Brandon Orsich p 4022, Thomas Summers 1b 2221, Dan Collins cf-c 2100, Travis Ogden rf 3121, Jacob Wingate 2b 1000, Logan Lykens 3b 2010, Will Myers 3b 0100, Jake Lansberry c 1000, Marcus Luzier ph-2b 1100, Caleb Strouse lf 0100, Harley Rothrock ph-lf 1111. TOTALS: 23 11 9 9.
Score by Innings
Pleasant Gap 010 00 – 1 4 4
Clearfield 021 17 – 11 9 0
Errors – Witherite 2, Benford, Peters. LOB – Pleasant Gap 4; Clearfield 8. SB – McCartney 2; Strouse.
Pitching
Pleasant Gap – Hess 3-2/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K; Boone 2/3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Eble 1/3 IP 4 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 0 K.
Clearfield – Orsich 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K.
HB – Hess 1 (Summers).
W – Orsich (1-0). L – Hess.
Umpires – J.R. Rosselli (plate); Mike Norris (bases).
