PHILIPSBURG — The Clearfield American Legion Post 6 team got brilliant pitching performances from Brett Gardner and Brandon Orsich on opening day for the Bellefonte Bandits Wood Bat Tournament but had to settle for a split in a pair of 1-0 decisions at the Don Womer Baseball Complex Friday afternoon.
Gardner, a pickup player for the tourney, shut out PA Lightning, based in Oil City, with a three-hitter.
The former Curwensville Area High School hurler struck out three and walked one.
He was backed by flawless defense that was highlighted by Jake Sorbera’s running grab of Tanner Teconchuk’s drive to deep right center in the third inning that prevented a run.
Losing pitcher Johnny White was perched at second base with two outs after bunting for a hit and advancing on a groundout.
Only two other PA Lightning (4-3) runners saw second base, including Wes Lang on a sixth-inning double.
Manager Sid Lansberry’s Chiefs used two of their four hits off White to manufacture their run in the third frame.
Jake Sorbera lined a single to left, moved up on a wild pitch, took third on Thayne Morgan’s infield single to the right side and scored when Justin Fedder grounded into a forceout.
Josh Sorbera had the Chiefs’ other two hits, one a double.
Orsich matched Gardner’s mastery in what turned out to be a stinging loss to Piper Davis RBI (13-7) of Bowie, Md.
To cut down on the number of ties, tourney officials implemented a modified version of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) tie-breaker rule this year, and the Chiefs were the victims when Brooks sliced a flare down the left field line to chase home Edwin Lee in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The teams began the eighth and ninth innings with a runner at second base and one out. The IBAF format calls for runners at first and second with no outs beginning in the 11th inning.
Both Clearfield Legion runners advanced to third on wild pitches in the extra frames, but Zane Morgan was an easy out at the plate on a botched suicide squeeze play in the eighth and Thayne Morgan was stranded because of a forceout and a pop-up.
Thayne Morgan kept the Chiefs’ hopes alive by leaping to spear Lee’s liner and stepping on second base for an unassisted double play in the eighth.
Had Brooks not come through for Piper Davis RBI in the ninth, the game would have been declared a tie.
Orsich was the tough-luck loser.
Brooks’ hit was only the fourth he surrendered. The right-hander struck out three, walked none and hit one batter.
Because Josh Sorbera threw out Lee on a steal attempt in the second inning, Orsich had faced the minimum 14 batters and was working on a no-no when Lee smashed a double to deep right in with two outs in the fifth inning.
Piper Davis RBI had two hits in the sixth, but a rare third-to-first-to-third double play executed by Marcus Luzier and Jake Sorbera on a sacrifice bunt kept Orsich out of trouble.
Artale was winner pitching four innings and allowing only one hit while fanned four and walking two. He relieved starter Jesse Cerri with Reese Wilson and Zane Morgan aboard vie an error and an infield single in the fifth and snuffed out the threat with two strikeouts.
Going into Saturday’s games against TBW Select of Maryland at 12:30 and the Williamsport Wildpitch at 3 on the Community Field in State College, the Chiefs (4-7) are right in the hunt to be one of the teams advancing to Sunday morning’s semifinals.
They are one of six teams at 1-1 behind the 2-0 Piper Davis RBI, Wildpitch and Bradford County Bobcats. The tie-breaker will be runs allowed and the Chiefs and PA Lightning are knotted four runs up on State College.
If Saturday’s games are rained out, they will be moved to Sunday.
PA LIGHTNING — 0
Kyle Hunt cf 3000, Tanner Teconchuk ss 3000, Wes Lang 2b 2010, Matt Holquist 3b 2010, Jon Janocko 1b 3000, Derrik Reagle c 3000, Levi Hendrickson lf 3000, Aaron Hoover rf 2000, Johnny White p 2010. TOTALS: 23 0 3 0.
CLEARFIELD LEGION — 1
Josh Sorbera c 3020, Ty Bender lf-eh 3000, Marcus Luzier 3b 2000, Brandon Orsich 1b 2010, Jon Trimpey cf 1000, Reese Wilson eh-lf 1000, Brett Gardner p 1000, Jake Sorbera rf 2110, Thayne Morgan ss 2010, Justin Fedder 2b 1001, Zane Morgan 2b 1000. TOTALS: 19 1 4 1.
Score by Innings
PA Lightning 000 000 0 – 0 3 0
Clearfield Legion 001 000 x – 1 4 0
LOB – PA Lightning 4; Clearfield 3. 2B – Lang; Jo. Sorbera. Sac – Holquist; Trimpey, Gardner.
Pitching
PA Lightning – White 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.
Clearfield – Gardner 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
WP – Holquist 1.
W – Gardner (1-0). L – White.
Umpires – Bob Buck (plate) and J.R. Rosselli (bases).
* * * * *
CLEARFIELD LEGION — 0
Jo. Sorbera c 4000, Gardner eh 3000, Luzier 3b 2000, Trimpey cf 3000, Orsich p 3010, Ja. Sorbera rf-1b 3000, Wilson lf 3010, Z. Morgan ss 1010, Jarrit Wagner ph 1000, Fedder 2b 1000, T. Morgan ph-2b 2000, Seth Bumbarger 1b 1000, Bender ph-rf 1000. TOTALS: 28 0 3 0.
PIPER DAVIS RBI — 1
Tre Terry cf 3000, J.P. Bonaco ss 3000, Bennett Garner 2b 2000, Quinton Rohrbaugh lf 3000, Edwin Lee 1b-eh 3110, Kevin Kornick rf 1000, Nico Brooks ph-rf 2011, Jesse Cerri p 1000, John Artale dh-p 1010, Thomas Mason 3b 1000, Robert Nicole c 2010, Clark Reece eh-1b 2000. TOTALS: 24 1 4 2.
Score by Innings
Clearfield Legion 000 000 000 – 0 3 1
Piper Davis RBI 000 000 001 – 1 4 2
E – Ja. Sorbera; Kornick, Mason. DP – Clearfield Legion 2 (Luzier, Ja. Sorbera and Luzier; T. Morgan unassisted). LOB – Clearfield Legion 9; Piper Davis 4. 2B – Lee, Brooks. Sac – Mason. SB – Mason. CS – Lee (by Jo. Sorbera).
Pitching
Clearfield Legion – Orsich 7-2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.
Piper Davis – Cerri 4-1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K; Artale 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.
HB – Orsich 1 (Garner); Cerri 1 (T. Morgan). WP – Artale 2.
W – Artale. L – Orsich (2-2).
Umpires – Gary Kost (plate) and Sam Bevak (bases).