BOALSBURG – Four errors cost the Clearfield American Legion baseball team five unearned runs that allowed State College to eke out a 9-8 win in the elimination bracket final of the Central Penn League Playoffs Sunday afternoon at the Shaner Complex.
The season ended for manager Sid Lansberry’s Chiefs one win shy of advancing to the Region 7 Tournament.
Clearfield, which last competed in the CPL in the mid-1970s, was 2-2 in the post-season after finishing fourth in the West Division to close with a 13-11 record.
The Chiefs staked Jon Janocko to a 4-0 lead in the first inning without benefit of a hit.
State College starter and winner Zach Smeal couldn’t find the plate at the outset, walking Kyler Kephart, hitting Derek Danver and Andrew Redden and walking Janocko for one run. Ronny Ogden’s forceout and Coleman Kubala’s sacrifice fly scored Danver and Redden, respectively, and the Chiefs tacked on one more run.
The lead lasted only one inning as the hosts parlayed five hits with two errors and a wild pitch for six runs in the bottom of the second. Alex Singer and John Herzing had run-scoring singles while Nick Smith and Kyle Lebarron picked up RBIs on grounders.
Two errors, a walk and a balk helped State College grab a 9-4 advantage in the fourth inning. Smith reached on a miscue and scored on a Clearfield double play after Herzing doubled. Derek VanHorn got aboard via another misplay, stole second and touched home plate a single by Daulton Bown, who later scored on the balk.
Clearfield, which had lost 11-1 and 10-1 to State College in the regular season, didn’t go away, though.
In the fifth, a walk and singles by Thomas Summers and Kubala produced one run. Kubala’s hit sent Summers to third, and he scored on a wild by pitch by Smeal, who was relieved by Scout Droske after giving up a single by Cole Kephart.
Droske escaped with an infield fly and two strikeouts but gave up a run in the sixth on Redden’s double and Janocko’s sacrifice fly before really running into trouble in the seventh.
The Chiefs pulled to within one run when Droske lost his control, walking three batters around a hit batsman (Kyler Kephart) to force in Curtis Collins.
Tanner Witter came on to earn a save by inducing a forceout at third base as the Chiefs stranded three runners to up their total for the game to 11.
Summers had two of Clearfield’s seven hits after relieving Janocko. The southpaw held State College hitless and scoreless for two and one-third innings.
Janocko surrendered 10 hits and three walks but suffered the loss because of the five unearned runs.
East Division champ Beech Creek, 3-0 in the double-elimination format, can claim the CPL title with a win over State College Monday evening. If the Crickets lose, they will travel to the Shaner Complex Tuesday for the deciding game.
CLEARFIELD — 8
Kyler Kephart 1b-rf 3-1-1-0, Derek Danver ss 3-1-0-0, Andrew Redden c 3-2-1-1, Jon Janocko p-1b 2-1-0-2, Ronny Ogden 2-1-1-1, Thomas Summers p 2-1-2-0, Coleman Kubala 3b 3-0-1-2, Cole Kephart 2-0-1-0, Wyatt Westen cf 2-0-0-0, Curtis Collins lf 4-1-0-0. TOTALS: 26-8-7-6.
STATE COLLEGE — 9
Nick Smith 2b 3-2-0-1, John Herzing rf 3-1-2-1, Kyle Lebarron 1b 4-0-1-1, Derek VanHorn lf 4-1-1-0, Daulton Bown dh-cf 4-1-1-1, Kenny Craig 3b 3-1-2-0, Tanner Witter cf-p 4-1-2-0, John Bergman c 3-1-0-0, Alex Singer ss 2-1-1-1. TOTALS: 30-9-10-5.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 400 021 1 – 8 7 6
State College 060 300 x – 9 10 2
Errors – K. Kephart, Danver 2, C. Kephart 2, Collins; Scout Droske, Singer. DP – Clearfield 1 (Danver and K. Kephart); State College 1 (Smeal, Singer and Lebarron). LOB – Clearfield 11; State College 8. 2B – K. Kephart, Redden; Herzing. Sac – Herzing. SF – Janocko, Kubala. CS – Smith (by Redden).
Pitching
Clearfield – Janocko 3-2/3 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; Summers 2-1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.
State College – Zach Smeal 4+ IP (faced 4 batters in 5th), 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 K; Droske 2-2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K; Witter 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
HB – Smeal 4 (Danver, Redden, C. Kephart 2), Droske 1 (K. Kephart). WP – Janocko 2; Smeal. Balk – Janocko 1.
W – Smeal. L – Janocko (0-2). Save – Witter.