ELKINS, W.Va. — The Clearfield American Legion John Lewis Shade Post 6 baseball team split a pair of one-sided Orange Division decisions in the 28th Annual Pizza Hut Hillbilly Hardball Classic Thursday.
The Chiefs rolled up a 19-5 win over Beckley (W.Va.) Post 32 in a game halted after just 3½ innings at Robin Harvey Memorial Field because of the time limit of two hours and 15 minutes but were trimmed 16-3 by Circleville (Ohio) Post 134 in six innings at the Elkins High School diamond.
Against Beckley, the Chiefs benefited from 15 walks, two hit batsmen and three errors as they had only seven hits, with Zane Morgan and Eli Glass cracking two apiece.
Morgan drove in four runs, Harrison Peacock was right behind with three RBIs and Nate Barr, Hayden Williams and Allan Myers added two RBIs apiece.
Clearfield had only three hits, the big one a three-run double by Morgan, in the second-inning outburst as a trio of Beckley hurlers issued seven free passes, five with the bases loaded. Starter and loser Tanner Buchannon also hit Morgan.
The next inning showed similar numbers, three hits to go with six walks and one hit batsman, plus two Beckley misplays.
Two-run singles by Peacock and Williams were the key hits.
Jake Sorbera was the winning pitcher, working three innings with three strikeouts and no walks. He gave up 10 hits and four runs.
Reese Wilson closed it out in the fourth, whiffing two and allowing two hits and one run.
Bryce Timko kept Circleville in check for four innings, but Noah Cline turned a one-run advantage into a 6-1 lead by belting a grand slam home run in the top of the fifth.
Circleville then erupted for 10 runs, eight earned, off Wilson and Peacock in the sixth to make it a Mercy Rule win. Six walks, one hit batsman and three Clearfield errors played into the rally.
Winning hurler Cody Anderson spaced eight hits.
Glass had two of them, one a double, while Seth Bumbarger, Peacock and Wilson drive in the runs.
The Chiefs (2-1) will play three more division games against legion teams, taking on Columbia (Md.) Post 300 at 2 p.m. and Garrett County (Md.) Post 214 at 7:30 Friday and Moorefield (W.Va.) Post 64 at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Five division kings and one wild-card team will decide the championship of the 29-team tourney Sunday.
BECKLEY — 5
Isaac Miller cf 3030, Kaden Williams lf-p 3000, Logan Stump rf 3231, Peyton Brown 1b 3021, Tanner Buchannon p-ss 3011, Lane Jordan ss 1000, Austin Amtower p-2b 2110, Dakota Bowman 2b-p-lf 2110, Adam Epling c 2000, Jacob Sheets 3b 2012. TOTALS: 26 5 12 5.
CLEARFIELD — 19
Zane Morgan 2b-ss 3124, Nate Barr c 4202, Eli Glass lf 2321, Bryce Timko rf 0100, Hayden Williams 2b 2012, Thayne Morgan ss-cf 1201, Seth Bumbarger 1b 1202, Jake Sorbera p 0000, Alan Myers ph-rf 2312, Harrison Peacock 3b 1313, Reese Wilson cf-p 1201. TOTALS: 17 19 7 18.
Score by Innings
Beckley 2 0 2 1 – 5 12 3
Clearfield 0(11)8 x – 19 16 0
E – Stump, Buchannon, Epling. LOB – Beckley 6; Clearfield 6. 2B – Sheets; Z. Morgan. SB – Miller; T. Morgan. CS – Miller (by Barr).
Pitching
Beckley – Buchannon 1-2/3 IP 3 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 0 K; Amtower 0+ IP (faced 2 batters in 2nd), 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K; Bowman 2/3 IP, 1 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 0 K; Williams 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 0 BB.
Clearfield – Sorbera 3 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K; Wilson 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
HB – Buchannon 1 (Z. Morgan); Bowman 1 (Myers). WP – Bowman 1, Williams 1.
W – Sorbera (1-0). L – Buchannon.
* * * * *
CIRCLEVILLE — 16
Andrew Barnhart ss 3401, Cody Anderson p 0000, Cam Farley dh 3321, Seth Lockard dh 0000, Brett Carson cf 5221, Noah Cline rf-1b 3235, Chris Conrad lf 3001, Nick Salyer 3b 3100, Jared Younkin 1b 2000, Travis Grimm rf 1100, Lane Larson c 3211, Austin Nunemaker 2b 2111. TOTALS: 28 16 9 11.
CLEARFIELD — 3
Z. Morgan 3b-1b 3010, Barr, ss 3000, Glass lf 3220, T. Morgan rf-cf-3b 2000, Bumbarger 1b 2011, Peacock 3b-p 1011, Timko p-rf 1010, Sorbera dh 2000, Myers c 3000, Williams 2b 2110, Wilson cf-p-cf 2011. TOTALS: 24 3 8 3.
Score by Innings
Circleville 200 04(10) – 16 9 0
Clearfield 100 01 1 – 3 8 5
E – Z. Morgan, Barr 2, Peacock, Williams. LOB – Circleville 5; Clearfield 4. 2B – Glass, Wilson. HR – Cline. Sac – Nunemaker. SF – Conrad. SB – Carson. CS – Glass (by Larson).
Pitching
Circleville – Anderson 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.
Clearfield – Timko 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Wilson 0+ IP (faced 5 batters in 6th), 0 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 0 K; Peacock 1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
HB – Peacock 1 (Barnhart). WP – Timko 1, Wilson 1.
W – Anderson. L – Timko (0-1).