The Tide scored three runs each in the third, fourth and fifth innings to come away with victory number three on the season against one loss.
Cardinal starting pitcher Ben Fuller was throwing well through the first two innings against the Tide, giving up no runs on just one hit when a sore arm sent him to play second base.
DCC broke a scoreless tie with a run in the top half of the third inning before the Golden Tide got their offense to click.
In the bottom of the third with one out Curwensville centerfielder Wes McGarry banged a double. Sam Gardner, the Tide’s starting pitcher, then singled putting runners on first and third. Brett Sutika, batting clean-up, smacked a double into the right field corner scoring both McGarry and Gardner. Sutika would later score on a throwing error. After three, it was 3-1 in favor of Curwensville.
Garrett LaBorde walked to start the fourth inning for the Tide and then Jonathan Michaels was hit by a pitch from Cardinal relief hurler Ethan Gillespie. With two outs McGarry went to right field, stroking a triple which scored LaBorde and Michaels. Gardner would bring McGarry home with a single later in the inning.
Tide head coach Denny Johns said afterwards, “This was our most complete game of the season so far. We played solid defense for the second straight game and even when we batted, our outs came off of some hard hit balls.”
Curwensville would tally three more times in the bottom of the fifth inning as with one out Shae Best and LaBorde would get back to back walks. Michaels singled to left to bring home Best, with an error on the play moving LaBorde to third and Michaels to second. Tide shortstop Jed Greslick then drove in LaBorde and Michaels with a two out single to left to complete the Tide scoring.
Gardner went the distance for Curwensville in picking up his first win of the year with his coach giving praise along the way, “Sam (Gardner) pitched very well today”, said Johns. “He mixed his pitches well and kept the ball low in the strike zone.”
Curwensville returns to action, at home, Friday at 4:15 pm when they play the Elkers of Ridgway in a game that was suspended on April 8 due to rain. The contest will resume with the Tide batting in the bottom half of the first inning. Ridgway did not score in the top half of the first when the game was halted.
DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC – 3
Kyle Mann ss 3120, Ethan Gillespie 2b/p/lf 4121, Dante DeSantis lf/cf 4000, Ben Miknis c 3010, Will Gangewere cf/p 3111, Brian Fuller p/2b 3021, Cody Gulvas 3b 3010, Mark Walker 1b 2000, Alex Allender rf 3000, TOTALS – 28 3 9 3
CURWENSVILLE – 9
Jed Greslick ss 4012, Wes McGarry cf 3222, Sam Gardner p 4121, Brett Sutika 2b 4112, Shane Hoover rf 4001, Shae Best lf 2110, Garrett LaBorde 1b 1200, Boone McGary 1b 0000, Jonathan Michaels c 2211, Derek Brothers 3b 2000, Jesse Zorger ph 1000, TOTALS – 27 9 8 9
SCORE BY INNINGS R H E
DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC 001 002 0 3 9 3
CURWENSVILLE 003 330 x 9 8 1
ERRORS – Gulvas 2, DeSantis; B. McGary LOB – DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC – 6 CURWENSVILLE – 5 2B- Mann, Gangewere; W. McGarry, Sutika, Best 3B -W. McGarry SB – Gillespie, Gangewere; Greslick, Best HBP – Michaels (by Gillespie)
PITCHING
DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC
Fuller 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HB
Gillespie 2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HB
Gangewere 2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 0 HB
CURWENSVILLE
Gardner 7 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 0 HB
WP – Gardner (1-0) LP – Gillespie