CLEARFIELD — Beech Creek took another step toward a third consecutive championship and Claysburg and Bedford advanced through the elimination bracket on the second day of the Pennsylvania American Legion Division I Region 7 Tournament, all with Mercy Rule victories..
In a showdown of league champions, Beech Creek defeated Bushy Run 11-1 in eight innings in the last of three games at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park.
Claysburg blitzed Blairsville 19-1 in seven innings in the opener of the tripleheader, while Bedford ended Jefferson County League titlest Brookville/Punxsutawney’s short stay in the eight-team tourney with an eight-inning 11-1 win at the Clearfield Area High School diamond.
Landon Breon got the job done with his bat and his arm as Central Penn League titlist Beech Creek (17-2) scored in every at-bat except the second inning to knock off District 31 (Westmoreland County) king Bushy Run (21-4).
He paced a 16-hit attack with three singles and a double and limited Bushy Run to seven hits through seven frames, striking out seven and walking five before bumping up against the 120-pitch limit.
Colton Parker mopped up in the eighth, allowing one walk and one hit.
Asher Corl, Evan Prough, Wyatt Koch and Zach Eck contributed two hits apiece, with both of Corl’s going for two bases and one of Prough’s a double.
For Bushy Run, Travis Hohman and Noah Kinser each had two safeties.
Bushy Run will take on host Clearfield (11-7) in the 5 p.m. winner’s bracket final that is the last of three games at the LTRP Monday. Bushy Run must contend with Claysburg in an elimination game starting at 2.
Bushy Run 000 100 00 – 1 8 2
Beech Creek 202 113 11 – 11 16 1
WP – Landon Breon (7 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 7 K), followed by Colton Parker (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K).
LP – Hunter DeStefano
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Cambria County League champ Claysburg (25-2) rebounded from a tough opening loss to Hempfield East to jolt Indiana County League representative Blairsville (10-6) with five runs in the first inning and then adding at least three runs in three other innings.
A dozen Claysburg had at least one hit, with Hunter Klontz, Alex McMonagle and Nolan Walters coming off the bench to join Chase Smith and Ryan Leonard in the two-hit column.
Walters hammered a solo homer, while Klontz, Smith and Joel Musser had doubles.
Casey Winters drove in three runs, two with a fourth-inning homer. Klontz, Leonard, Musser and Mike Specik each had two RBIs.
Four Claysburg pitchers combined for a six-hitter, with the win going to reliever Kyle Glass for two-inning stint.
Devin Burkett has a pair of singles for Blairsville.
Claysburg 530 235 1 – 19 17 0
Blairsville 000 001 0 – 1 6 3
WP – Kyle Glass (2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K), in relief of Luke Eberhart (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K), and followed by Nolan Walters (1-2/3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) and Jaerett Imler (1-1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K).
LP – Joey Lynch (2-2/3 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 1 K), followed by Zack Olechovski (2-1/3 IP, 8 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), Brian Knupp (1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) and Marty Foreman (1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K).
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Cambria County League runner-up Bedford (22-5) broke up a tight pitching duel between Josh Hickey and Brookville/Punxsutawney’s Lance Pennington with two runs in the sixth inning for a 4-1 lead and followed up with a six-run salvo in the seventh.
Hickey worked seven innings, striking out seven with no walks while surrendering five hits. Austin Price came on after the Hurricanes tacked on a run in the eighth for the early finish. He had one strikeout.
Robert Hernandez had three singles for the Hurricanes, who got pairs of hits from Price, Jake Cherry, Austin Brown, Jared Colledge, Cory Ullman and Jake Colledge.
Bedford will play Hempfield East (19-5) at 9 a.m. at the LTRP.
Bedford 002 002 61 – 11 15 0
Brookville/Punxsutawney 001 000 00 – 1 5 2
WP – Joel Hickey (7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), followed by Austin Price (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K).
LP – Lance Pennington (6-1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K), followed by Ben Reitz (1-2/3 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K).