CLEARFIELD – A scintillating performance by right-hander Chad Zurat enabled the Clearfield Chiefs to cap off the opening round of the Pennsylvania American Legion Region 7 Tournament with a sold 5-1 win over Somerset in the nightcap of a triple-header at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park Field Saturday.
“We played a great game defensively, Chad was super and we got just enough runs,” Clearfield manager Sid Lansberry said. “I think we played a played high level baseball game today, which you have to do in a tournament like this. That’s a pretty good team over there, I believe. Every team we’re gonna play is good.”
Zurat certainly elevated his pitching to a new level.
He was sharp throughout in authoring a four-hitter that sent the Chiefs (17-13) into the winner’s bracket semis of the double-elimination tourney against Homer City (16-8) Sunday at 4 p.m. on the same diamond.
Zurat struck out 11 and walked three in his sixth victory without a loss this season.
After Somerset (18-12-1) scored in the second, Zurat methodically mowed down the Businessmen over the next six innings.
A leadoff walk in the ninth ended a string of 10 consecutive outs.
Cody Hemminger followed with a single through the box, but Zurat notched his final strikeout and then caught a break on a hard grounder by Pritts that was headed for right field.
However, the ball hit Hemminger for the second out, eliminating at least a bases-loaded threat.
“If that kid doesn’t get hit with that ball, we’ve got a situation,” Lansberry said. “We were thinking about bringing Bookie (Corey Bookhamer) in there cause he was ready.”
But not needed.
Zurat nailed down the complete game by retiring Zach Helsley on a fly to left, his 112th pitch.
“Not bad for nine innings,” Lansberry rated the pitch count. “He was throwing hard even at the end.”
Lansberry said it would be difficult choosing this gem or the eight-inning, 5-3 win over Philipsburg-Osceola in the Independence Day Wood Bat Invitational as Zurat’s best outing, adding, “He’s been pitching very well every time out.”
Though every starter had at least one hit, Clearfield missed opportunities to make Zurat’s task much easier, stranding at least one runner in every inning, including nine in scoring position, for a total of 14.
“We left too many men on base, but we got some clutch hits that were real big,” Lansberry said.
None bigger than Andrew Redden’s tie-breaking two-run single with one out in the fifth that he smoked past losing hurler Brett Christner after Jarrett Fulmer singled and Derek Danver reached base on an error and stole second.
Danver had knotted the count with a double to deep center to plate Shane Harper, who had singled and moved up on Fulmer’s sacrifice bunt.
The Chiefs padded their lead in the sixth, Tyler Jacobson’s smash off Christner’s glove and Harper’s perfect bunt down the first base line not going for naught. Fulmer sacrificed again ahead of Danver’s chopper to third and Bookhamer’s double into the right field corner that were good for the RBIs.
“Jacobson did a good job taking off right away on that ground ball,” Lansberry pointed out. “In that situation, you’ve gotta go on contact. And there was no play at the plate.”
Fulmer, Zurat and Harper had two hits apiece off Christner.
“He kept us off balance,” Lansberry said. “He got tough when he had to. He kept them in the game.
“That’s what was worrying me. They kept hanging around. We didn’t open it up.”
The Chiefs really didn’t have to the way Zurat was pitching.
EXTRA INNINGS – Zurat whiffed the 7-8-9 Somerset batters eight times… Defensive dandies were turned in by Fulmer, who robbed Max Marker with a lunging, backhanded stop of a wicked one-hopper in the third inning, and Harper, who denied pinch-hitter Myles Ream of extra bases with a juggling catch as he fell to the ground in right center in the eighth… Clearfield, which finished third in the Jefferson County League’s regular season and playoffs, lost 9-8 at Homer City in interleague action on June 27 when Scott Harsh hit two homers and had five RBIs… Opening ceremonies prior to the first game at the LTRP Field included the singing of the national anthem by Cameron Ogden and a first-pitch strike by Bill Lawhead of the Lawrence Township Board of Supervisors.
CLEARFIELD — 5
Jarrett Fulmer 2b 4120, Derek Danver ss 5112, Corey Bookhamer 1b 5011, Andrew Redden c 4012, Justin Hoffman rf 5010, Chad Zurat p 4020, Kyle Timchak lf 3010, Troy Danver lf 1000, Tyler Jacobson 3b 4110, Shane Harper cf 4220. TOTALS: 39 5 12 5.
SOMERSET — 1
Max Marker 2b 3000, Drew Hemminger 3b 4000, Brett Christner p-3b 0000, Gunner Smith dh-c 3000, Cody Hemminger rf 4010, Austin Sleek 1b 3110, Cameron Darr 1b 1000, Devin Pritts ss 3020, Zach Helsley cf 4000, Michael Flyte lf 3000, Cole Christner c 2000, Myles Ream ph-3b-p 1000. TOTALS: 31 1 4 0.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 001 022 000 – 5 12 2
Somerset 010 000 000 – 1 4 2
Errors – Fulmer, Zurat; Darr, Pritts. PB – Redden 1. LOB – Clearfield 14; Somerset 6. 2B Fulmer, D. Danver, Bookhamer. Sac – Fulmer 2, Timchak. SB – D. Danver, Bookhamer.
Pitching
Clearfield – Zurat 9 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 K.
Somerset – B. Christner 8-2/3 IP, 12 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 6 K; Ream 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
WP – B. Christner 1.
W – Zurat (6-0). L – B. Christner.
Umpires – Mike Zimmerman (plate); Joe Thompson (bases).