UNIVERSITY PARK — Despite finishing with two wins more than any of the other three teams, the Clearfield American Legion Post 6 Chiefs had to settle for second place in the 35th annual Bellefonte Bandits Wood Bat Tournament when the Clarence Legion Mounties completed an improbable final day parlay with a 2-1 win on Medlar Field at Lubrano Field on the Penn State Campus Sunday afternoon.
The champions were 0-3 in round-robin action but rode A.J. Onder’s three-hit pitching to a 2-1 revenge victory over St. Mary’s (Md.) Legion in the morning semifinals at John Montgomery Ward Field in Governors Park at Bellefonte.
The Chiefs, 3-0 for their semi, reached the title game for the first time by defeating TBW Select of Maryland 2-0 on Brandon Orsich’s second shutout of the tourney, but a second game with just three hits weren’t enough to beat their Central Penn League opponent for the third time in eight days.
Clearfield (7-5) did solve Onder for three singles in the first two innings before he was lifted because of going the distance against St. Mary’s.
Ty Walker relieved with one out in the third frame and proceeded to hold the Chiefs hitless the rest of the way to earn the win. He struck out six, walked two and hit one in 4-2/3 innings.
A pair of errors around a walk, all with two outs, gave Clearfield the tying run in the bottom of the third inning.
Clarence (3-8-1) had gone ahead during Bryce Timko’s rocky first inning when the left-hander issued three walks after Grant King reached on an error.
Timko gave up five hits in the next two innings but escaped without giving up any more runs and then ended his stint with a 1-2-3 fourth.
Will Myers made his first mound appearance of the season in the fifth and surrendered the deciding run when King bounced a single into center field, stole second, moved to third on Onder’s bunt and scored on Trey Butterworth’s groundout.
While Myers allowed only one other hit, the Chiefs couldn’t make Walker uncomfortable.
They had only two baserunners in their last three at-bats as the sidearming right-hander finished strong. He struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh.
“We won four games, but we just didn’t hit in this last one,” Clearfield manager Sid Lansberry said. “But it was great to play on Spikes field.
“The kids were excited, and I think they had fun.”
Against TBW Select, Orsich executed third-out pickoffs at first base to strand runners at third in the first and second innings.
After that, the Chiefs’ ace was in command, though walking four over the last three innings of his third shutout and fourth win in five decisions.
Orsich posted a four-hitter with five strikeouts in besting Paul Hansel, tagged with the loss though giving up only three singles.
After retiring 11 of the first batters he faced, Hansel suddenly lost the strike zone and issued four consecutive walks with two outs in the fourth inning to give Orsich and the Chiefs the only run they needed.
Timko drove in the insurance run in the sixth with a groundout after singles by Josh Sorbera and Reese Wilson and a walk to Myers filled the sacks with one out.
The Chiefs continue their grueling late June schedule with four Central Penn League games in as many days, hosting State College Monday and Bellefonte Tuesday before going to Bellefonte Wednesday and DuBois Thursday.
CHAMPIONSHIP
CLARENCE — 2
Grant King ss 4120, A.J. Onder p-2b 2100, Trey Butterworth cf 3001, Noah Chambers 1b 1010, Nick Laird 1b 1000, Hunter Eminhizer 3b 2011, Tanner Kresovich 2b-rf 3010, Kyle Gill c 3000, Luke Jozefick eh 3000, Cale Burkett rf 1010, Ty Walker p 2010, Garrett Barnhart lf 3000. TOTALS: 28 2 7 1.
CLEARFIELD — 1
Zane Morgan c 3000, Justin Fedder 2b 3100, Josh Sorbera 3b-ss 2010, Ty Bender rf 3000, Reese Wilson cf 3000, Will Myers ss-p 2010, Brandon Orsich 1b 3000, Jake Sorbera lf 2010, Alex Coval lf 1000, Jarrit Wagner dh 2000, Wyatt Porter 3b 0000, Alec Graham eh 3000. TOTALS: 27 1 3 0.
Score by Innings
Clarence 100 010 0 – 2 7 3
Clearfield 001 000 0 – 1 3 3
E – King, Onder, Eminhizer; Jo. Sorbera, Orsich 2. LOB – Clarence 9; Clearfield 8. 2B – Chambers. Sac – Onder. SB – King, Walker; Fedder.
Pitching
Clarence – Onder 2-1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K; Walker 4-2/3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K.
Clearfield – Bryce Timko 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; Myers 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.
HB – Walker 1 (Porter).
W – Walker. L – Myers (0-1).
Umpires – Tom Burger (plate); Nick Kaluza (first base) and Jeff Holter (third base).
* * * * *
SEMIFINAL
TBW SELECT — 0
Adam Reed cf 3000, Matt Davis lf 3000, Alec Schwartz 1b 2010, Max Conrad 3b 2010, Rhane Jones ss 3010, Nick Varner c 3000, Paul Hansel p 2010, Brandley De La Cruz 2b 2000, J.P. Williams rf 3000. TOTALS: 23 0 4 0.
CLEARFIELD — 2
Thayne Morgan eh 2000, Ty Bender rf 3000, Zane Morgan c 2100, Josh Sorbera 3b 2110, Reese Wilson cf 2010, Will Myers ss 1001, Bryce Timko 1b 3001, Jake Sorbera lf 2000, Jarrit Wagner dh 1000, Alex Coval pr 0000, Justin Fedder 2b 2010. TOTALS: 20 2 3 2.
Score by Innings
TBW Select 000 000 0 – 0 4 1
Clearfield 000 101 x – 2 3 1
E – Hansel; Z. Morgan. PB – Varner. LOB – TBW Select 6; Clearfield 8. SB – Hansel; Z. Morgan, Jo. Sorbera, Wilson.
Pitching
TBW Select – Hansel 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 6 K.
Clearfield – Brandon Orsich 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K.
HB – Hansel 2 (T. Morgan, Ja. Sorbera).
W – Orsich (4-1). L – Hansel. PO – Orsich 2 (Conrad, Hansel).
Umpires – Nick Kaluza (plate) and Cody Cogan (bases).