CLEARFIELD — The Clearfield American Legion baseball team broke up a pitching duel between Jake Sorbera and DuBois’ Thomas Grecco with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to begin the Jefferson County League championship playoffs with a 5-1 win at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park Thursday evening.
The Chiefs had only two singles off Grecco before erupted for four runs on RBI hits by Nate Barr, Eli Glass, Bryce Timko and Harrison Peacock.
Thayne Morgan triggered the outburst with sharp grounder into center field. After Zane Morgan sacrificed him up to second, Barr punched a single into short center for the game-winning hit.
Glass followed by lashing a double to right center for one insurance run, and pinch-runner Alec Graham scored another on Timko’s single to left center.
Allan Myers greeted reliever Anthony Kness with a single to right, Hayden Williams walked and Peacock drilled a single up the middle to push pinch-runner Cade Walker around the bases to complete the scoring.
The teams matched singletons in the second frame.
DuBois (5-8) broke the ice on a double to left center by Jordan Frano and opposite-field hits to right by Grecco and Justin Swauger.
Clearfield (15-6) got the equalizer when Glass walked, advanced to third on a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt by Seth Bumbarger and was driven in by Timko with a sacrifice fly.
Timko had two of the Chiefs’ eight hits to go with the pair of RBIs.
Sorbera wound up with a 111-pitch complete game, striking out five and walking one.
Three of the eight hits he allowed came in the seventh inning before he closed out his fourth win in as many decisions by inducing a groundout.
Barr prevented DuBois from getting a potential rally under way when he ranged into the left field corner to rob Alex Pasternak of an extra base hit after Frano had led off with an infield single.
Frano and Swauger had two hits apiece for the visitors.
The Chiefs will take on Punxsutawney/Brookville, an 11-2 winner over Curwensville Thursday, in the winner’s bracket final Friday at 6 p.m. at Kuntz Field in Punxsutawney.
Curwensville goes to DuBois for the loser’s bracket semifinal Friday.
The loser’s bracket final is set for Sunday evening, and the championship game is booked for Tuesday.
DUBOIS — 1
Mitchell Ferra cf 2010, Jeremy Krise 2b 3010, Garrett Prosper 1b 3000, Jordan Frano c 3120, Alex Pasternak 3b 3000, Thomas Greco p 2010, Zach Shilala 2b 1000, Chase Palmer rf 3010, Justin Swauger lf 2021, Heath Means lf 1000, Anthony Kness ss-p, Kenny Garvey eh 2000. TOTALS: 28 1 8 1.
CLEARFIELD — 5
Thayne Morgan rf 3110, Zane Morgan c 0000, Nate Barr lf 3111, Eli Glass ss 2111, Alec Graham pr 0100, Seth Bumbarger 1b 2000, Jake Sorbera p 0000, Bryce Timko dh 2022, Cade Walker pr 0100, Allan Myers eh 3010, Hayden Williams 2b 0000, Harrison Peacock 3b 3011, Reese Wilson cf 3010. TOTALS: 21 5 8 5.
Score by Innings
DuBois     010 000 0 – 1 8 0
Clearfield    010 004 x – 5 8 0
DP – DuBois 2 (Grecco, Kness and Prosper 2); Clearfield 1 (Williams, Glass and Bumbarger). LOB – DuBois 7; Clearfield 7. 2B – Frano; Glass. Sac – Z. Morgan, Bumbarger. SF – Timko. SB – Z. Morgan.
Pitching
DuBois – Grecco 5-2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 1 K; Kness 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.
Clearfield – Sorbera 7 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1BB, 5 K.
HB – Grecco 1 (Williams). WP – Grecco 2.
W – Sorbera (4-0). L – Grecco.
Umpires – Mark Michelucci (plate) and Joe Shick (bases).
