CURWENSVILLE — After having to sit idle for both Monday and Tuesday due to rain, and having almost a week since last being on the field, the Golden Tide of Curwensville finally got to step foot on their home diamond on a sunny but slightly brisk Wednesday afternoon. The squad making the journey for competition on this day was the Johnsonburg Rams.
The only other item that was cold on this day was the Tide offense. Despite a valiant effort, the home squad fell behind early and could not get back into it. Curwensville dropped its tenth consecutive game, falling to the Rams, 8-0, the exact same score from when these two first met back on April 18 in Johnsonburg. It’s the second straight game Curwensville was held scoreless, and eighth game in the last nine where they were held to one run or less.
Despite a solid start to the game, Avery Francisco struggled once the second inning began.
After giving up a trio of hits in the first inning, but getting out of a jam thanks to a pick-off at third and a strikeout of Austin Green, the second inning spelled the downfall of the Tide.
As if it was a flashback to a month ago, the Rams would score four runs in the inning thanks to Paul Gresco blasting a two-RBI double into left-center field, followed by an RBI-single and a sacrifice fly to put the game at 4-0 at inning’s end.
Francisco remained in the game for the majority of the contest, as Curwensville still has two games left on the schedule and appeared to be saving its pitchers for the final games of the season. Francisco stayed on the mound for six and two-thirds innings, giving up seven runs, four of them earned, and yielding 10 hits plus an error in his second loss of the season in his third start.
On the contrary to the Tide, Johnsonburg was putting forth a solid outing on defense as Daunte Allegretto pitched the entire afternoon, giving up only four hits and striking out seven.
Curwensville gave up the final four runs over the final three innings, with Francisco yielding three of them thanks to RBI-singles by both Zach Zameroski and Austin Green, plus a sacrifice fly to push the score to 7-0. With two outs in the seventh, Francisco was moved to center field and in his place was Christian Bakaysa. His lone run that he gave up came thanks to Dalton Stahli hitting an RBI-single to center field. He tried to get to second, however the throw was in time for the tag to end the inning.
In the bottom of the inning, with runners on first and second, a pair of strikeouts from Allegretto ended the contest and left the Tide scoreless once again on the season.
Curwensville (3-15) has a pair of make-up games to finish out the 2019 campaign as they will first play host to the Clearfield Bison on Thursday. The two squads met up back on April 4 at the Bison Sports Complex, with a fifth-inning grand slam from Eli Glass pushing the Bison to the 5-2 victory. Thursday’s contest will start at 4:15 p.m.
SCORE BY INNING
Johnsonburg 040 021 1 – 8 12 0
Curwensville 000 000 0 – 0 4 3
Golden Tide Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
3/22 Deer Lakes @ S. Carolina 5 – 9 0 – 1
3/23 Lakeview @ S. Carolina 4 – 9 0 – 2
3/26 DUBOIS CENTRAL CATH. 2 – 8 0 – 3
3/28 BROCKWAY 5-2, 10 inn. 1 – 3
4/02 HARMONY 11 – 1 2 – 3
4/04 @ Clearfield 2 – 5 2 – 4
4/08 ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 4 – 5 2 – 5
4/10 @ Kane 2 – 1 3 – 5
4/12 @ Mo Valley ppd. 3 – 5
4/15 @ West Branch ppd. 3 – 5
4/16 @ Punxsutawney 4 – 14 3 – 6
4/17 @ West Branch ppd. 3 – 6
4/18 @ Johnsonburg 0 – 8 3 – 7
4/22 @ Elk County Catholic 1 – 3 3 – 8
4/23 @ DuBois Central Catholic 0 – 13 3 – 9
4/25 @ Brockway 1 – 2 3 – 10
5/03 MO VALLEY 1 – 5 3 – 11
5/06 WEST BRANCH 1 – 11 3 – 12
5/07 KANE 6 – 10 3 – 13
5/09 GLENDALE 0 – 9 3 – 14
5/13 CLEARFIELD ppd. 3 – 14
5/14 @ West Branch ppd. 3 – 14
5/15 JOHNSONBURG 0 – 8 3 – 15
5/16 CLEARFIELD
5/17 @ West Branch
