HYDE – A fast start at the plate and a solid pitching performance by Trevor Flanagan enabled the Clearfield American Legion Post 6 baseball team to extend its season at least one more game with an 11-1 Mercy Rule win over Curwensville Friday evening at the Bison Sports Complex.
Manager Sid Lansberry\’s Chiefs, who finished in third place during the regular season, advance to Sunday\’s elimination bracket final of the Jefferson County League Playoffs.
They will go on the road to test runner-up Punxsutawney (15-7) in the 2 p.m. game, with the winner getting a crack at regular season champion DuBois (17-3) for the playoff title and a trip to the Region 7 Tournament.
DuBois outlasted Punxsy 12-10 in the winner\’s bracket final Friday.
Clearfield had a much easier time, thanks to a complete-game seven-hitter by Flanagan. The right-hander struck out three and walked two.
A pair of opposite-field hits in the third inning prevented Flanagan from posting a shutout in his fourth victory in six decisions.
Shane Hoover singled to right and Ianniq Ecklund doubled up the right center alley for Curwensville\’s run in the third inning.
The Chiefs already had eight runs in the hopper by then.
In the bottom of the first inning, RBI-singles by Corey Bookhamer and Aaron Sayers sandwiched a walk to Derek Danver and left the bases loaded for Andrew Redden, who promptly cleared them with a ringing double to deep center field.
Clearfield added three more tallies off Brett McCracken in the second.
Danver lined a single to center for two RBIs and came around on singles by Sayers and Redden.
Airik Hutton relieved McCracken and kept the Chiefs under control until the sixth, when Justin Hoffman chased home Jarrin Campman with his third perfectly-placed fly ball hit.
Needing two runs for an early finish due to the 10-run rule, Clearfield got them on Chad Zurat\’s liner to left and Campman\’s grounder through the middle that took a wicked hop on Haymaker second baseman Brett Sutika.
Campman matched Hoffman\’s three-hit effort, while Sayers and Redden chipped in two safeties apiece.
Ecklund and McCracken singled and doubled for Curwensville, which ended the season with a 9-12 record.
CURWENSVILLE — 1
Mark Dell\’Antonio 1b 4010, Ianniq Ecklund lf-cf 3021, Brett Sutika ss-2b 4000, Ben McGary cf 3000, Alex Holland lf 0000, Brett McCracken p-ss 3020, Cory Bloom c 2000, Airik Hutton rf-p 3010, Tyler Johns 3b 1000, Boone McGary dh 2000, Shane Hoover 2b 1110, Derek Dixon rf 1000, Jeff Smallwood rf 1000. TOTALS: 28 1 7 1.
CLEARFIELD — 11
Jarrin Campman 2b 5231, Trevor Flanagan p 0000, Kyle Timchak dh 310, Justin Hoffman rf 3211, Derek Danver ss 3212, Aaron Sayers cf 42221, Andrew Redden c 4024, Chad Zurat lf 4111, Tyler Jacobson 3b 3000, Luke Peterson 3b 1010. TOTALS: 34 11 15 11.
Score by Innings
Curwensville 001 000 0 – 1 7 1
Clearfield 530 001 2 – 11 15 1
Errors – Johns; Campman. LOB – Curwensville 8; Clearfield 7. 2B – Ecklund, McCracken; Redden. Sac – Timchak. SB – Ecklund 2; Campman 2.
Pitching
Curwensville – McCracken 2 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Hutton 4-1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
Clearfield – Flanagan 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.
WP – McCracken 1, Hutton 2.
W – Flanagan (4-2). L – McCracken.
Umpires – Rob Murphy (plate); Garry Shirey (bases).
