CURWENSVILLE — The season for high school baseball is coming into the time of year where every game is critical in many aspects. Although overall records are still critical, league games become even more crucial in the final weeks. The most crucial of contests comes when the top teams in the league go head-to-head, deciding who is the team that runs the diamond.
For the Curwensville Golden Tide, that game came Thursday afternoon on their home field.
In the opposite dugout, the Moshannon Valley Black Knights were primed and ready to showcase their effort to become the team to beat in the Mo Valley League for the 2018 season. Tabbed to take the mound to do so, their lead pitcher, Alex Kitko. Curwensville decided to fight fire with fire, giving their undefeated ace pitcher, Bryce Timko, the mound.
The game became exactly what many expected when two of the best pitchers in the league go at it. Neither yielded, each portraying their effort almost flawlessly. It got to the point where not only did neither pitcher give in, they each got pulled for relievers when they hit their limit on how many balls they could throw. It meant neither would earn a win, nor a loss.
It also meant that seven innings were not enough to decide this one, and extra baseball was in store.
Who would have thought the starting pitcher ended up being the winner in a different sense? Although it wasn’t on the mound, Timko was the one who touched home plate when it mattered most, scoring the game-winning run in the eighth inning to end the Tide’s losing streak at three with a walk-off 1-0 triumph.
Curwensville head coach Tommy Harzinski immediately wanted to talk about the pitching duel that the fans witnessed on the afternoon, as both teams had a strategy of simply get the best pitcher off the mound, and let the relievers try and secure a victory.
“Kitko threw a nice game. Hats off to him. They made plays. What can I say about Bryce, he was dealing today,” Harzinski said. “We were a little bit more patient at the plate. Bryce had a lot more command today. Nothing against Kitko, he threw a great game also.
“It’s one of those games where someone has to win, and someone has to lose. I’m just glad we’re on this side of it.”
No one was certain how the game would play out, especially when the first batter that Timko faced, Jacob Matchock, belted a single into the gap between first and second. The lead-off single would put momentum in the hands of the Black Knights, but immediately it disappeared. The left-handed Timko saw Matchock take a long lead, and tossed the pick attempt to first. Matchock got caught in a rundown that seemed to last several minutes. But between he, McCracken, and other members of the Tide, eventually Matchock was tagged out, putting the first out on the board.
Timko then struck out Kitko, and saw Joseph Bacher line out to center field, closing out a strong start to the afternoon.
The senior pitcher had one of his greatest efforts in his final year, pitching 13 strikeouts in seven and two-thirds innings, only giving up the opening single as his lone hit, and walking four.
In comparison, Kitko was also extremely strong on the mound in his effort. Despite going five and one-third innings, he too was dealing in his own way. He struck out eight while only giving up three hits.
For five innings, both pitchers never yielded. When Kitko had a strong inning, Timko answered back. If Timko had a jam, he somehow got out of it.
Curwensville had a few missed opportunities that could have made a big difference in the outcome had things gone differently. In the fourth inning, with the bases loaded and no one out, Avery Francisco popped out to Peyton Smith, then Timko struck out, and McCracken grounded into a fielder’s choice, leaving zero runs on the board, with runners in prime scoring position.
Timko’s biggest jam came in the extra inning. With one out on the board, a fielder’s choice by Michael Kephart followed by walk to Smith put a game-breaking run in position. Timko’s effort on that day was becoming tiring, as his pitch count in the fifth and sixth innings started climbing, and when he walked Smith to put runners on first and second, his jam was knowing his game was done, and he wouldn’t get the win nor loss since neither team was on the board.
Still, he exited to applause from both sides, and now it was up to McCracken to possibly get the Tide out of the tight situation.
He did just that in extremely quick fashion. His first pitch against Matchock was high, but high enough in the zone for the umpire to call the strike. Pitches two and three, each sinking balls that were swung on, only to capture air. Three pitches, one out, and Curwensville now had the chance to close it out.
Matchock took over on the mound with one out in the sixth inning, and it was Timko who led things off in the eighth. On a 2-0 pitch, the lefty connected strong, hammering the ball over the shortstop into center field, giving Curwensville the winning run in position.
McCracken then walked to first on four pitches. But then, the play of Chase Graham ultimately became one of two big plays of the day.
On the first pitch, he gambled with a bunt, knowing he could be tagged out, but the focus was to get Timko and McCracken closer to scoring. The ball hit the bat, and planted far enough in the dirt where he moved both his teammates a base, and the stage was set for the Tide to capture the game-winning moment.
“For a freshman to come into that situation, and lay down the perfect bunt, in the perfect location, my hat’s off to Chase. He’s a great kid,” Harzinski said of his pinch-hitter.
But now, it was Jeremiah Farley that had the ultimate undertaking, that being somehow to get the ball into play where Timko could reach home. It didn’t matter how, just as long as the ball was put somewhere that let Timko go 90 feet to the plate is all that was left to do. Farley was on the lineup card, but Cole Bressler was the designated hitter for him all game long. That is until the final two innings. Despite grounding to a fielder’s choice in the sixth, Farley came to the plate, and locked in.
Matchock’s first pitch was a sinking fast ball, and with a swing of the bat, Farley connected. The ball hammered into center field.
Timko saw the ball sail, and tagged back up to third, but stood at the ready like a track star waiting for the gun to fire off. When the ball was caught for the out, Timko bolted for home. The throw was heading home, but it was not enough. As he slid across the plate, Timko and his teammates rushed to the field to celebrate with Farley as he brought home the game-winning run.
Harzinski was elated for his third baseman, stating, “He’s strong with the glove, but struggles at the plate at times. He walked up to the plate today, and I had confidence he would get the job done.”
McCracken would get the win on this afternoon, even though he only tossed three pitches. Matchock got dinged with the loss.
After having a much different game two days prior against Brockway, Harzinski had a smile ear to ear, because his team moved forward after one of the worst outings it had this season, and put forth one of its best.
“I’m so proud of this team right now. Tuesday, we’ll call it what it was, a fluke. That was the first time this year for us, and it happens in high school baseball. We just had to learn from our mistakes. It’s like I said at practice yesterday, we have to reset but don’t forget. Don’t forget the past, but reset, and now we’re moving forward.”
Now at 6-5, Curwensville has a stronghold on the Mo Valley League championship, but Harzinski is not even considering that the title is a lock for his team. Despite taking the lead in head-to-head matchups and overall, he knows that every game matters.
“That was our No. 1 goal this season was to win the Mo Valley League,” he said. “We’re in the driver’s seat, but we have to take care of business. Nobody’s going to give us anything.”
Next week is a light week for the Tide with only two games on the schedule. They will start the week hosting Brockway on Monday before traveling to face Elk County Catholic on Tuesday. Both games are slated for a 4:15 p.m. start.
SCORE BY INNING
Moshannon Valley 000 000 00 – 0 1 1
Curwensville 000 000 01 – 1 4 0
Moshannon Valley – 0
Matchock 2B/P 3010, Kitko P/2B 3000, Bacher LF 2000, Daniel 3B 3000, Gresh 1B 2000, Kephart RF 3000, Ball CR 0000, Marinel CF 3000, Smith SS 2000. TOTALS 24 0 1 0.
Curwensville – 1
VonGunden SS 3000, Evans 2B 3000, Gasper CR 0000, Francisco C 4010, Timko P/1B 4120, McCracken 1B/P 3010, Bakaysa RF 3000, Graham CR 0000, Heitsenrether LF 1000, Bressler DH 2000, Farley 3B 2001, Terry CF 1000. TOTALS 26 1 4 1.
LOB: MV – 4; Cville -8. E: Kitko. SAC: Graham. SB: Francisco, Heitsenrether, McCracken, Terry. CS: Gasper
PITCHING
Moshannon Valley: Kitko-5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 8 K, 6 BB; Matchock-2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 SO, 2 BB.
Curwensville: Timko-7.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 13 K, 4 BB; McCracken-0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 SO, 0 BB.
WP-McCracken (1-0). LP-Matchock (0-3).
Golden Tide Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
3/23 @ Broadalbin-Perth, NY 1 – 2, 8 inn. 0 – 1
3/24 @ Friends Select School, PA 9 – 2 1 – 1
3/27 BROCKWAY ppd. 1 – 1
3/29 @ Punxsutawney ppd. 1 – 1
4/05 @ Elk County Catholic ppd. 1 – 1
4/06 @ West Branch 3 – 0 2 – 1
4/09 @ Johnsonburg ppd. 2 – 1
4/10 ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 5 – 3 3 – 1
4/14 JOHNSONBURG 2 – 5 3 – 2
4/14 JOHNSONBURG 5 – 0 4 – 2
4/16 @ Glendale ppd. 4 – 2
4/17 @ Kane ppd. 4 – 2
4/19 @ DuBois Central Catholic 3 – 0 5 – 2
4/20 PUNXSUTAWNEY 1 – 2 5 – 3
4/23 CLEARFIELD 2 – 7 5 – 4
4/24 @ Brockway 3 – 7 5 – 5
4/26 MO VALLEY 1 – 0 6 – 5
4/30 BROCKWAY
5/01 @ Elk County Catholic
5/07 @ Harmony
5/08 @ Glendale
5/09 KANE
5/10 @ Kane
5/15 @ Clearfield
5/16 DUBOIS CENTRAL CATH.