CURWENSVILLE-The hot streak of the Curwensville Golden Tide seemed to be matching the heat of the weather in the last few days, and it was not looking like it was letting up on either instance. After a strong come-from-behind win two days earlier against Kane, Curwensville welcomed in the Clarion-Limestone Lions for a late season contest to finish out their regular season.
Unlike the last two games, Curwensville had to fight hard in this one. But, they would not give in, and in one of the most unlikely of ways, the Tide would literally walk off a 5-4 victory to officially guarantee a winning season in 2021.
The Tide got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning. With runners on the corners, Jake Mullins hammered a hard grounder to center field through the gap for an RBI-single as Thad Butler scurried home from third base to open the scoring. Mullins then came back in the top of the inning to shut down all three batters.
The Lions would not get on the board until the fourth inning when a sacrifice fly from Hayden Callen brought Corbin Coulson around to tie the score. But, the Lions would not be done as the second sacrifice fly of the inning, this one from Jake Smith, gave Clarion-Limestone the advantage.
After going the first three innings, Mullins was pulled in favor of Tyler Lee in the fourth, but head coach Tom Harzinski then decided to bring in Jake McCracken out of center field in the fifth inning. With playoffs just days away, the staff was trying to keep the pitch count low so every pitcher could be available to start the post season.
Curwensville got one run back in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI-single from Shane Sunderlin. However, the Lions plated another pair in the sixth on back-to-back singles to put the score at 4-2.
However, the fight in Curwensville would not go away, and the home crowd knew it, so they prepared for a comeback.
In the sixth, immediately trouble came. Both Lee and Spencer Hoover would get struck by Coulson, who came in with one out in the fifth inning to take over pitching duties after Tommy Smith exceeded the 100-pitch threshold. Two batters later, Keegan Wilson took a 1-1 pitch on a ride up the dirt and into the grass in center field. The single would allow Lee to round from second, beating the throw to the plate, and bringing the Tide to within one.
After holding the Lions scoreless in the top of the seventh, the Tide were ready for one last gasp to put another win in the record books.
Mullins struck out to start the inning, but then Sunderlin blasted the first pitch he saw into center field, rounding all the way to second to put the tying run in scoring position. Danny McGarry came in as the courtesy runner for Sunderlin, while Jayson Rowles came to the plate as the pinch-hitter. He would load the count and nail a liner into center field for a single, and McGarry rounded home from second, beating the throw. All of a sudden, Curwensville tied the game at four runs each, and had the winning run back on the bases. Chase Graham walked on the next at-bat, but Tyler Lee then flew out into right field for the second out. Rowles moved to third after tagging up, putting the winning run 90 feet from victory.
The next two at-bats would in the end tell the entire story.
Hoover fouled off the first two pitches from Coulson, but the next one ended up being one he would wear on his body. The hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Coulson, and all it would take is a hit up the gap through the infield for the Tide to win it.
It turns out, Curwensville didn’t need to swing the bat.
After Tyler Libby came in as the courtesy runner for Hoover, Butler came to the plate. The first pitch was outside the box, as was the second, and the third. The fourth pitch by Coulson would then leave his hand and go too far inside, as Lee would get struck in the body, allowing all the bases to move forward, and Rowles simply walked his way to the plate for the winning run, ending the game in the most unlikely of ways.
Curwensville (11-9) begins their playoff run on the road this Tuesday afternoon when they travel to Brookville to face the Raiders. First pitch will be at 4 p.m.
SCORE BY INNING
Clarion-Limestone 000 202 0 – 4 9 1
Curwensville 100 011 2 – 5 6 1
Clarion-Limestone – 4
Tommy Smith-P/CF 4000, Corbin Coulson-CF/P 3110, Bryson Huwar-3B 4220, Hayden Callen-SS 2011, Jordan Hesdon-C 3121, Nick Aaron-1B 3031, Jake Smith-2B 2001, Michael Snyder-RF 3000, Jack Craig-LF 3000. TOTALS 27 4 9 4.
Curwensville – 5
Spencer Hoover-C 3000, Thad Butler-SS 4211, Keegan Wilson-1B/2B 2011, Nick Fegert-CR/1B 0000, Jake McCracken-CF/P 3000, Jake Mullins-P 3011, Shane Sunderlin-3B 4021, Danny McGarry-CR 0100, Aiden Sutika-Lf 2000, Jayson Rowles-PH 1111, Chase Graham-RF 2000, Tyler Lee-2B/P 2100, Tyler Libby-CR 0000. TOTALS 26 5 6 5.
LOB: 5/10
E: J. Smith/Graham
ROE: Hoover
2B: Sunderlin
SF: Callen, J. Smith
FC: Butler, McCracken
HBP: Coulson/Butler, Hoover-2, Lee
SB: Coulson, Hesdon/Butler
GIDP: McCracken
Pitching
Clarion-Limestone: Smith-4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 8 SO, 7 BB; Coulson-2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 SO, 1 BB.
Curwensville: Mullins-3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 SO, 0 BB; Lee-1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 SO, 0 BB; McCracken-3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 SO, 0 BB.
W-McCracken
L-Coulson