PUNXSUTAWNEY – The Clearfield Legion Post 6 baseball team closed the Jefferson County League regular season Tuesday evening with an 18-6 victory over Punxsutawney in the completion of a game that was suspended after three innings on June 28.
The Chiefs carried a 17-5 lead back to Rich Kuntz Memorial Field and tacked on a run in the fifth to shorten their stay because of the JCL\’s 12-Run Mercy Rule.
Clearfield finishes in third place at 11-7, its make-up game tentatively scheduled for Wednesday at DuBois canceled because it has no bearing on the playoff seeds.
DuBois wrapped up the championship Monday by defeating Punxsy 11-1.
The double-elimination playoffs will get under way Thursday with Clearfield, 14-14 overall, at runner-up Punxsy (14-6) and Curwensville (9-10) at DuBois (15-3). Starting time for the nine-inning games is 5:30 p.m.
Teams with the higher seeds will be home for the second round matching winners and losers Friday.
Looking ahead to the playoffs, Clearfield manager Sid Lansberry gave the ball to Chad Zurat for a tune-up Tuesday, and the unbeaten right-hander earned his fourth win with a two-inning stint. After giving up a run in the fourth, he retired five of the last six batters, striking out one and walking one in the fifth.
Justin Hoffman singled and Aaron Sayers tripled off Zach Dickey for the run in the top of the fifth that got Clearfield back on the road early.
In the nightcap of the June 28 double-header, the Chiefs banged 15 hits off of three Punxsy pitchers.
Hoffman, Sayers and Andrew Redden finished with a double and two singles apiece. Redden knocked in four runs, Sayers had three RBIs and Hoffman added two RBIs.
Justyn Knepp drove in three runs with a double and a single, Derek Danver had a pair of run-scoring hits, Kyler Kephart singled and doubled.
Tanner St. Clair\’s two-run double keyed a five-run start in the first inning, and Knepp doubled home two teammates in the four-run second.
The Chiefs sent 12 batters to the plate and blew the game wide open with eight runs in the third, Redden and Sayers recording two RBIs apiece.
Losing pitcher Braedon Pennington led Punxsy with a two-run homer and an RBI-single. Tommy Bush and Jacob Stumpf singled twice, and Tyler Wingard added a two-run double.
CLEARFIELD — 18
Justin Hoffman rf-p-rf 5332, Aaron Sayers cf 3133, Corey Bookhamer lf-1b 5311, Luke Peterson 2b-lf 0000, Tanner St. Clair 2312, Derek Danver ss 3322, Andrew Redden c 4334, Justyn Knepp p 3023, Chad Zurat p 1000, Kyler Kephart 1b 2121, Jarrin Campman 2b 1000, Trevor Flanagan 3b 2100, Tyler Jacobson 3b 1000. TOTALS: 32 18 17 18.
PUNXSUTAWNEY — 6
Dakota Bish c 2110, Braedon Pennington p-lf-p-lf 3123, Tommy Bush cf-3b 2120, Tyler Skerkavich rf 1000, Jacob Stumpf lf-cf 3120, Tyler Wingard 1b 3112, Sean Smith 3b-p-3b 3011, Devan Neal rf 1000, Jordan Mesoraco p-2b 1000, Dylan Kachmar ss 3000, Kyle Neal 2b 2100, Zach Dickey lf-p 0000. TOTALS: 24 6 9 6.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 548 01 – 18 17 1
Punxsutawney 005 10 – 6 9 2
Errors – Sayers; Kachmar 2. DP – Clearfield 1 (Sayers and Bookhamer). LOB – Clearfield 7; Punxsutawney 5. 2B – Hoffman, Sayers, St. Clair, Danver, Redden, Knepp; Bish, Wingard. 3B – Sayers. HR – Pennington. Sac – Sayers. SB – Stumpf.
Pitching
Clearfield – Knepp 2-1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Hoffman 2/3 I, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K; Zurat 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.
Punxsutawney – Pennington 2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K; Smith 1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Mesoraco 1 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 8ER, 0 BB, 1 K; Dickey 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
HB – Mesoraco 2 (St. Clair, Flanagan).
W – Zurat (4-0). L – Pennington.
