Brookville Baseball Spoils Golden Tide Season Opener 7-1

CURWENSVILLE – The Curwensville Area High School baseball team was able to get the 2014 season started Monday with a 7-1 loss at the hands of Brookville.  The Golden Tide churned out as many hits as the Raiders in the game, but early offense allowed the visitors to escape with the win.

“We had chances in the second half of the game,” mentioned Tide coach Denny Johns.  “We just seemed to have trouble with our swings.  Our timing is just not where it needs to be.”

The Raiders picked up the first run in the first after Jerry Roos singled off of starting pitcher Kyle Johns.  Roos stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch before Gavin Park singled him home.

While Johns struck out two batters in the second, control issues eventually hurt the Tide senior.  With two outs and one on via a walk, Jordan Tosh singled for the Raiders before a walk and a hit batter drove in the eventual winning run.  Two additional runs scored on a hit from Kyle Dunkle for a 4-0 lead after two.

“It just felt like we didn’t have enough emotion out here tonight,” coach Johns said.  “We were flat and it resonated in the dugout and on the field.  I just hope that now we are getting outside with more consistency we’ll be able to get a better feel for the season.”

Johns yeilded the mound in the fourth to classmate Brett Gardner and three errors the rest of the game helped the visitors to post three more runs.

The Golden Tide scored its lone run in the fifth inning when Noah Strickland lead off by reaching base on an infield error.  Strickland moved up a base on Tanner Elensky’s single.  A line-drive double play at first base put a damper on the inning’s good start.  However, after a passed ball moved Strickland to third, Gardner drove him home with a single.

Gardner led the hosts with a 3-for-4 day at the plate including a double.  Elensky singled twice in the loss.  Johns did strike out five batters in his three innings of work while walking two and hitting one.  Gardner fanned four hitters and gave up just one hit with one free pass and a hit batter.  None of the runs charged to him were earned.

“I feel pretty good with where we’re at right now,” said Denny Johns.  “Defensively, we played well for the early season, and Brett pitched well in relief.  The early walks in the second came back to haunt us, and we just didn’t look like we were really into the game.  We’ll keep improving from here.”

Curwensville will take its 0-1 slate on the road on Thursday to face Moshannon Valley League foe Harmony.

BROOKVILLE — 7

Jerry Roos cf 3310, Gavin Park 2b 3011, Kyle Dunkle c 4000, Zach Byerly p, ss 3b 3110, Sam Clowse 3b, p 4000, Ben Calen lf 1000, Nathan McCullough dh 3000, Jesse Majoy 1b 1100, Shawn Blackberger 1b 2011, Wyatt Schaffer rf 4000, Jordan Tosh ss, p, ss 2210, TOTALS – 30 AB 7 R 6 H 2 RBI.

CURWENSVILLE — 1

Tanner Elensky ss 3020, Travis Lansberry cf, 1b, cf 4000, Brett Gardner 1b, p 4031, Jake B. Stiles 3b 1000, Alex Olson lf 2000, Ricky Magnuson 1b 2000, Kyle Johns p, cf, lf 4000,Tyler Mays c 1000, Jake C. Stiles cr 0000, Jake Terry 2b 0000, A.J. Bloom dh 3010, Noah Strickland rf 3100,  TOTALS – 27 AB 1 R 6 H 1 RBI.

SCORES BY INNINGS – R H E

Brookville  130 200 1 – 7 5 3

Curwensville   000 010 0 – 1 6 3

ERRORS – Byerly ; J. B. Stiles, Olsen, Strickland.  LOB – Brookville 6; Curwensville 11.  2B – Byerly; Gardner.  SB – Roos, Byerly; Elensky. PB – Dunkle 2.  DP – Brookville.

PITCHING

Brookville –  Byerly 3 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 3 BB 3 K 0 HB

Tosh 2 IP 2 H 1R 0 ER 3 BB 1 K 0 HB

Clowse 2 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 1 K 0 HB

Curwensville –   Johns 3 IP 4 H 4 R 4 ER 2 BB 5 K 1 HB

Gardner 4 IP 1 H 3 R 0 ER 1 BB 4 K 1 HB

WP – Byerly.  LP – Johns (0-1).

Golden Tide Scoreboard: