CLEARFIELD – Right-hander Evan Bencic pitched a complete game and the Homer City bats heated up in the middle innings as the Indiana County League champions short-circuited Clearfield’s hopes for a surprising run through the Pennsylvania American Legion Region 7 Tournament Sunday evening.
Bencic, who struck out nine and walked three, kept the Chiefs in check except for a four-run fourth inning and finished strong in the 12-5 winner’s bracket semifinal victory at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park Field.
The loss means Clearfield (18-14) will be battling for survival against Jefferson County League rival DuBois (21-3) at 1 p.m. in one of Monday’s two elimination bracket games.
Later, Homer City (17-8) will meet State College (32-7) in the winner’s bracket final of the double-elimination tourney that continues through Wednesday.
Clearfield manager Sid Lansberry didn’t want to trade runs with Homer City, which nipped the Chiefs 9-8 in interleague play June 27.
“We needed to win a low-scoring game,” he said.
And that’s what it was for three innings with Corey Bookhamer matching Bencic pitch-for-pitch in a fast-paced scoreless duel.
Both hurlers ran into trouble in the fourth.
Homer City broke through against Bookhamer when Scott Harsh scorched a double down the left field line, Eric Cusimano walked and Cody Trabert looped a two-out single to right center. With runners at the corners, the visitors executed a double steal for a run. Then, Tim Kinter tried to catch the Chiefs off guard with a bunt and was safe when Bookhamer’s throw hit him in the back as Trabert scored the third run of the inning.
“We made mental mistakes there,” Lansberry said of the failure to defense the double steal properly and get the out on the bunt. “There’s two runs they should not have had.”
The Chiefs did respond, though, grabbing a 4-3 lead with six of their 11 hits.
Derek Danver ignited the rally with a double to deep right center. Clearfield got a break when Bookhamer’s high fly fell for a hit in left center, Danver holding at second. Justin Hoffman drilled a two-bagger over center fielder Ryan Mlakar’s head to send both runners sprinting to the plate.
With two outs, Kyle Timchak singled through the middle to tie the game. He advanced to second on the throw home and scored the go-ahead run on Tyler Jacobson’s single into the right field corner.
Bencic shook off the rough inning and reverted to his early-game form, allowing only a seventh-inning run on singles by Danver, Bookhamer and Hoffman.
He kept pounding the outside corner with two different breaking pitches that kept the Chiefs guessing.
“We hit the ball in the air way too much,” Lansberry said. “We didn’t hit hard ground balls and line drives.
“Maybe you’ve gotta credit their pitcher for that, too. I knew he was a good pitcher coming in.”
While Bencic quickly got back into the groove, Bookhamer began to struggle in his first outing in nearly two weeks.
“He wasn’t as sharp as usual, and Homer City’s a good hitting club,” Lansberry said.
The ICL representatives showed that in the fifth inning.
With one out, singles by Matt Stewart, Ryan Mlakar and Bencic loaded the bases for Harsh, who had homered twice for five RBIs off Bookhamer in the prior meeting. He promptly lined a double to left for two runs and a 5-4 lead. One out later, Cusimano ripped an RBI-single into left, and Harsh also scored when the ball was misplayed.
Homer City extended the margin to 9-4 in the sixth, chasing Bookhamer with three hits around one of Clearfield’s five miscues. Mlakar and Bencic got the RBIs with a bunt single and sacrifice fly, respectively.
Ronny Ogden relieved and, aided by a pair of doubleplays, gave the Chiefs a chance to come from behind.
They just couldn’t break through against Bencic again.
The winners tacked on three runs, two unearned, off Derrick Snyder in the ninth. They would have had four, but Wilden lost a home run when he failed to touch first base after launching a wicked drive over the fences in left.
Danver, Bookhamer, Hoffman, Timchak and Jacobson had two hits apiece.
Harsh’s two doubles and a single led Homer City. Mlakar, Bencic, Cusimano and Kinter each had a pair of singles.
HOMER CITY — 12
Ryan Mlakar cf-lf, 4121, Zack Davis pr-lf 0000, Evan Bencic p 4121, Scott Harsh ss 5232, Ty Holderbaum c 5100, Eric Cusimano 3b 2121, Cody Trabert rf 5211, Tim Kinter lf 4221, Matt Wilden 1b 4011, Matt Stewart 2b 5210. TOTALS: 38 12 14 8.
CLEARFIELD — 5
Jarrett Fulmer 2b 5000, Derek Danver ss 3220, Corey Bookhamer p-1b 5120, Andrew Redden c 4000, Justin Hoffman rf 4123, Chad Zurat cf 4000, Kyle Timchak lf 3121, Shane Harper lf 1000, Tyler Jacobson 3b 3021, Kyler Kephart 1b 2010, Ronny Ogden p 1000, Troy Danver ph 1000, Derrick Snyder p 0000.
Score by Innings
Homer City 000 342 003 – 12 14 1
Clearfield 000 400 100 – 5 11 5
Errors – Cusimano; Bookhamer 2, Timchak, Jacobson, Kephart. DP – Homer City 1 (Wilden and Bencic); Clearfield 2 (Jacobson and Bookhamer; Fulmer and Bookhamer). LOB – Homer City 6; Clearfield 8. 2B – Harsh 2; D. Danver, Hoffman. Sac – Wilden; Jacobson. SF – Bencic. SB – Cusimano, Trabert 3. CS – Kinter (by Bookhamer).
Pitching
Homer City – Bencic 9 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 9 K.
Clearfield – Bookhamer 5-2/3 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; Ogden 2-1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K; Snyder 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.
HB – Ogden 2 (Mlakar, Kinter). WP – Bookhamer 1. Balk – Ogden 1. PO – Bookhamer 1 (Stewart).
W – Bencic. L – Bookhamer (6-3).
Umpires – Gary Kost (plate); Scott Viehdorfer (bases).
