BELLWOOD — The Clearfield American Legion Post 6 baseball team prolonged its season for at least one more day behind the pitching of Brandon Orsich and the batting of Cole Kephart against Altoona at Drost Field Saturday afternoon.
Orsich hurled a four-hitter while Kephart singled twice, drove in two runs and scored a run as the Chiefs snuffed out the Blair County entry’s hopes for a deep run in the Central Penn League Playoffs with a 4-3 victory.
Clearfield, 6-17-1 overall, advances to an elimination bracket game against State College Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Shaner Sports Complex near Boalsburg.
Orsich made that possible with his first route-going performance for his first win in three decisions.
The rookie right-hander pitched to contact, constantly pounding the strike zone and getting some help from Altoona batters who put the ball in play on the first offering they saw a total of 10 times.
Only 18 of Orsich’s 73 pitches were called balls. And he issued just one walk.
Orsich did plunk Alex Martynuska and John McGinley with one out in the fourth inning, and both scored on Joel Reighard’s single inside third base after advancing on a wild pitch, giving Altoona a 3-1 lead.
Unfazed, Orsich notched two of his three strikeouts and kept the hosts off the board the rest of the way.
Tony Sinisi rapped a two-out single in the fifth inning but was cut down on a steal attempt by Josh Sorbera.
After Clearfield had gone in front in the top of the seventh inning, Reighard led off by dropping a down the right field line. However, Orsich induced flyouts to the corner outfielders and, following a wild pitch that had Reighard perched at third base, got the final out when Cursio starched a liner that was right at second baseman Spencer Herrington.
Altoona’s two-run lead was short-lived as the Chiefs drew even in the top of the fifth.
Kephart flared a two-out, broken-bat single to short left, took second on a wild pitch and scored when Devin Jones’ grounder was thrown away at first base. Two more wild pitches enabled Jones to touch the plate to make it 3-3.
Small ball produced the deciding run for Clearfield in the seventh frame.
Curtis Collins walked, Spencer Herrington dropped down a sacrifice bunt and Kephart lined into left field for the game-winning hit.
Kephart had staked the Chiefs to a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly after Cursio couldn’t locate his fastball at the outset and walked Collins, Herrington and Orsich on 14 pitches.
Double plays by Altoona in the first and third frames prevented Clearfield from taking command and proved costly when Cursio sliced a double near the left field line and Jared Brandinelli singled to right for the equalizer in the bottom of the third.
Clearfield flychasers then turned in two defensive gems, Zach Timchak throwing out Brandinelli trying to stretch his hit into a double and Devin Jones spearing a line drive by Sinisi that was headed for the left center gap.
In other Saturday action, top seed Mifflin County nipped No. 4 State College 6-5 and No. 3 seed Philipsburg edged No. 2 DuBois 1-0 in the winner’s bracket, while Beech Creek ousted Clarence 5-4.
Philipsburg will travel to Lewistown to test Mifflin County in the winner’s bracket final and DuBois will host Beech Creek in the other elimination game Sunday.
CLEARFIELD — 4
Curtis Collins cf 2210, Spencer Herrington 2b 1000, Brandon Orsich p 3000, Cole Kephart ss 3122, Devin Jones lf 3110, Erik Sellers 3b 3000, Josh Sorbera c 3000, Zach Timchak rf 2000, Kaleb Taylor 1b 2000, Logan Lykens ph-1b 1000. TOTALS: 23 4 4 2.
ALTOONA — 3
Jared Brandinelli 2b 3011, Tony Sinisi ss 3010, Josh DeGol 3b 3000, Alex Martynuska c 2100, John McGinley lf 1100, Joel Reighard cf 3022, Travis Baker 1b 3000, Dom Lombardo rf 3000, Derek Cursio p 3110. TOTALS: 24 3 5 3.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 100 020 1 – 4 4 1
Altoona    001 200 0 – 3 5 3
E – Herrington; DeGol, Martynuska, Cursio. DP – Altoona 2 (Brandinelli, Sinisi and Baker; Martynuska and Brandinelli). LOB – Clearfield 7; Altoona 3. 2B – Reighard, Cursio. Sac – Herrington. SF – Kephart. SB – Collins. CS – Sinisi (by Sorbera).
Pitching
Clearfield – Orsich 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
Altoona – Cursio 7 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 7 K.
HB – Orsich 2 (Martynuska, McGinley); Cursio 1 (Timchak). WP – Orsich 2; Cursio 4.
W – Orsich (1-2). L – Cursio.
