CLEARFIELD – In a game with more ups and downs than a roller coaster, the Clearfield Little League 9-and-10 All-Stars averted defeat, and elimination from the District 5 Northern Tier Tournament, with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and then came from behind again in the seventh to nip Curwensville 13-12 on McNamee Field Wednesday evening.
Clearfield jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two frames, but Curwensville battled back with 10 unanswered runs in the next three innings and tacked on another in the sixth for an 11-9 advantage.
However, a two-out miscue gave the hosts two runs and new life.
Curwensville went ahead again in the extra inning when Blake Passarelli singled to right center to drive in Avery Francisco, who had reached base on an error.
Because of the 75-pitch limit, reliever Josh Terry had to be pulled after walking Mike Ternoway leading off the lower seventh.
Jeremy Learish drew a free pass from Francisco, and Jon Gates dropped down a sacrifice bunt.
With Clearfield down to its final out following a strikeout, courtesy runner Ethan McGinnis broke for home on a pitch in the dirt and was ruled out on the tag, then safe when the ball rolled free.
One batter later, Learish raced to the plate with the winning run as Wyatt Porter beat out a slow grounder to short.
Ternoway, the fourth Clearfield pitcher, picked up the victory after giving up just three hits and two runs, one unearned, in 2-2/3 innings.
Starter Noah Rumsky also was effective in his three-inning stint, surrendering only one hit and one unearned run while striking out seven before departing because of the Pitch-Count Rule.
Matt Collins’ two-run triple in the first and Rumsky’s two-run double in the fifth were key hits for Clearfield. Collins and Porter had two safeties apiece.
Curwensville, which bowed out at 1-2, got a single, double and four RBIs from Francisco, a single, double and 3 RBIs from Bryce Timko and a single and triple from Terry.
Clearfield (2-1) will return to McNamee Field Friday for the elimination bracket semifinal against Milesburg (2-1) at 6 p.m.
In other Wednesday action, Milesburg ousted Mountain Top 9-8 while Four-Leaf Clover (2-0) nudged Philipsburg-Osceola (2-1) 10-8 in the winner’s bracket final.
CURWENSVILLE — 12
Josh Terry ss-p-ss 4320, Cameron Moore cf 1300, Bryce Timko p-1b 5123, Zack McClure c 4212, Avery Francisco 3b-ss-p 4124, Dylan Warrick 1b-3b 3000, Anthony Winebold 2b 2000, Noah VonGunden 2b 3000, Blake Passarelli lf 2211, Cole Bressler rf 1000, Jeremiah Farley rf 4000. TOTALS: 33 12 8 10.
CLEARFIELD — 13
Reese Wilson ss 2100, Wyatt Porter 3b 2221, Jake Sorbera c-p-ss-c 4210, Matt Collins cf-1b 3222, Noah Rumsky p-ss-cf-ss 4212, Mike Ternoway 1b-p 3211, Jeremy Learish rf 3111, Ethan McGinnis rf-lf 1000, Paul Kennedy lf 1010, Jon Gates pr-lf-c-lf 1000, Eli Glass 3b-p-cf 4000, Parker Hoyt ph-rf 1000, Matt Ryan 2b 3110. TOTALS: 32 13 10 7.
Score by Innings
Curwensville 001 451 1 – 12 8 5
Clearfield 520 022 2 – 13 10 6
LOB – Curwensville 12; Clearfield 12. 2B – Timko, Francisco; Rumsky. 3B – Terry; Collins. Sac – Gates. SB – Terry 2, Moore 3, McClure 1, Winebold; Sorbera, Ryan.
Pitching
Curwensville – Timko 2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K; Terry 4+ IP (faced 1 batter in 7th), 3 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 3 K; Francisco 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
Clearfield – Rumsky 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 7 K; Glass 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; Sorbera 1/3 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 K; Ternoway 2-2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
W – Ternoway (1-0). L – Francisco.
Umpires – Jay Siegel (plate); Nick Redden (bases).
