CLEARFIELD – League champions Claysburg, State College and Homer City were first-round winners in the Pennsylvania American Legion Region 7 Tournament Saturday and will join the host Clearfield Chiefs in the semifinals Sunday afternoon.
In the two games matching league titlists, Claysburg (Cambria County) converted four DuBois (Jefferson County) errors into six unearned runs and a 9-4 victory and State College (Central Penn) pulled away from pesky Bushy Run (Westmoreland County) at the Lawrence Recreation Park Field.
Homer City (Indiana County) also rallied late to trim Westmoreland County runner-up Greensburg 14-10 at the Clearfield Area High School’s Bison Sports Complex.
Claysburg (21-2) will take on State College (31-7) at 1 p.m. and Homer City (16-8) will play Clearfield (17-13) at 4 in the winner’s bracket semis.
Elimination bracket action pairs DuBois (20-3) and Bushy Run (13-8-1) at 10 a.m. at the LTRP Field and Greensburg (13-10-1) and Somerset (18-12-1) at 1 p.m. at the Bison Sports Complex.
GAME 1
Cody Swope went the distance on the mound and a trio of teammates combined for seven hits as Claysburg knocked off DuBois.
Swope kept the JCL kingpins at bay despite giving up 12 hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Christian Lamont’s two run single in the fourth inning and Zach Morrow’s two-run double in the fifth were the key blows to Claysburg building a 6-0 cushion.
DuBois cut the margin in half in the lower fifth on Garret Peterson’s two-run single and Dante DeSantis’ RBI-single but could get no closer.
Jordan Swope walloped a homer off reliever Jordan LaBue with Cody Swope aboard in the ninth.
Jordan Saylor paced Claysburg with three singles, while Morrow and Lamont chipped in two hits apiece.
Four players accounted for all but one of DuBois’ hits, topped by LaBue with two singles and a double.
Peterson, Mario Gregorio and Braden Bish each had a pair of hits, both of Gregorio’s going for two bases.
DeSantis was the losing hurler, tagged for 11 hits and seven runs, four of them unearned, in eight innings. He struck out four and walked three.
Claysburg 001 230 012 – 9 12 0
DuBois 000 030 011 – 5 12 4
Cody Swope and Zach Morrow; Dante DeSantis, Jordan LaBue (9) and Mario Gregorio.
W – Swope. L – DeSantis.
3 Hits – Jordan Saylor (C); LaBue (D). 2 Hits – Jordan Swope, Christian Lamont (C); Garret Peterson, DeSantis, Gregorio, Braden Bish (D).
HR – J. Swope (C). 2B – Morrow (C); LaBue, Gregorio 2 (D).
* * * * *
GAME 2
State College pounded out 20 hits, four of them home runs, against three Bushy Run pitchers but saw a 10-4 lead evaporate and was locked in a 10-10 tie after six innings.
Trey Nicosia’s leadoff homer to left field in the top of the seventh proved to be the game-winning hit, and the Central Penn champs turned it into a rout with seven runs in the eighth when they batted around for the second time.
Brandon Auman, the third State College hurler, was the beneficiary of the late offense, earning the ‘W’ with four scoreless innings.
He came into a tight spot with two on and no outs in the sixth after Carlin Crombie’s two-run double made it 10-8. Two walks gave Greensburg another run, and the tying marker scored as State College middle infielders Matt Fry and Scott Glass turned the first of three double plays in as many innings.
Auman, who gave up two hits and five walks, struck out the side in the ninth.
Shane Regel crushed a two-run homer in the second inning, while Aaron Sallade and Steve Mellott belted back-to-back solo shots in the third.
Sallade also had three singles, and Regel wound up with two hits and four RBIs.
Nicosia and Nick Carothers each had three hits and two RBIs, Will Sefter had two hits and three RBIs and Glass and Fry added two singles apiece.
Four players had all nine Bushy Run safeties.
Crombie had three of them for four runs batted in. James Contrella, who hammered a two-run homer, Nick Bergamasco and Corey Lucarelli each had two hits.
State College 042 130 171 – 19 20 4
Bushy Run 031 024 000 – 10 9 2
Ben Sallade, Will Sefter (6), Brandon Auman (6) and Shane Regel; Albert Olesko, Matt Kochasic (4), Nick Caporoso (8) and Nick Bergamasco.
W – Auman. L – Kochasic.
4 Hits – Aaron Sallade (SC). 3 Hits – Nick Carothers, Trey Nicosia (SC); Carlin Crombie (BR). 2 Hits – Scott Glass, Regel, Sefter, Matt Fry (SC); Bergamasco, James Contrella, Corey Lucarelli (BR).
HR – Nicosia, Regel, A. Sallade, Steve Mellott (SC); Contrella (BR). 2B – Austin Mock (SC); Crombie, Bergamasco (BR).
* * * * *
GAME 3
Ty Holderbaum clubbed three home runs for five RBIs but Homer City had to take the pedestrian route in its five-run outburst that answered Greensburg’s six runs for a 10-9 lead in a wild eighth inning.
Greensburg hurler Dan Zerbini actually should have been out of the lower eighth but a dropped third strike and ensuing error with two outs opened the door for Homer City.
The ICL champs, who had watched a 9-4 lead go by the boards, then made the Westmoreland County runners-up pay. After Holderbaum was intentionally walked, run-scoring singles by Eric Cusimano and pinch-hitter Jordan Long put Homer City back in front 11-10. Zerbini hit a batter and walked a pair to force in the insurance runs.
Cusimano led Homer City’s 14-hit attack with a solo home run and three singles, driving in two runs. Cody Trabert had three hits, one a double.
Greensburg amassed 16 hits off Scott Harsh and Evan Bencic, who relieved in the top of the eighth and picked up the win.
Logan Douglas enjoyed a perfect day at the plate with two doubles, two singles and a sacrifice fly. He drove in four runs.
Nate Spohn, John Szmed, Nick Vottero, Jordan Truscott and Nick Draghi had two hits apiece.
Greensburg 103 000 060 – 10 16 4
Homer City 021 201 35x – 14 14 5
Steve Tucci, Dan Zerbini (7) and Nick Draghi; Scott Harsh, Evan Bencic (8) and Ty Holderbaum.
W – Bencic. L – Zerbini.
4 Hits – Logan Douglas (G); Eric Cusimano (HC). 3 Hits – Holderbaum, Cody Trabert (HC). 2 Hits – Nate Spohn, John Szmed, Nick Vottero, Jordan Truscott, Draghi (G).
HR – Holderman 3, Cusimano (HC). 3B – Truscott (G). 2B – Douglas 2, Spohn (G); Trabert (HC).
