CURWENSVILLE — A slightly earlier than usual start in the afternoon gave fans a little bit of extra baseball on Tuesday. The Curwensville Golden Tide welcomed in the Juniata Valley Green Hornets for some competition, a competition that meant finishing what they started nearly a month earlier. It was March 26 when the two teams first met up, and with Curwensville ahead after the top of the seventh inning, the Hornets came back to tie the game. It was at that time the two coaches met with umpires to decide what was next, as darkness was falling and sight lines were reduced.
After the discussion, the two teams would pause the game and pick it up in the same place when the teams met back up in April, finishing the first game as part of a doubleheader. That finish came in quick fashion as the Tide would grab the lead in the top of the eighth, taking an 11-9 victory that took nearly a month to come to reality.
It was the top of the eighth inning that the game would pick up, a game that included a pair of home runs and a triple, but also saw the Tide defense give up three runs to cause the game to go into extras.
The top of the eighth first saw Merek Sutika at the plate, walking on five pitches, then Hunter Tkacik singling to put runners on first and second. Lincoln Hoyt sacrificed a bunt to get both runners to move, and that left an opportunity for Kyler Nelen.
On a 2-2 pitch from Bo Hoover, Nelen connected into the gap between second and third. Shortstop Trevor Thompson had the play, but lost control of the ball and it allowed both Sutika and Tkacik to cross the plate to make the score 11-9. Those two runs would make the difference as Hoover would take the loss, while Andrew Pentz achieved his second win on the year, despite only pitching a single inning.
Both teams got a little bit of a rest period, even with the short inning, so that the next pitchers could get a little time to warm up and prepare for the regularly-scheduled contest, this time with Curwensville as the designated home team.
GAME 1-SCORE BY INNING
Curwensville 001 222 22 – 11 12 3
Juniata Valley 220 011 30 – 9 11 4
Curwensville – 11
Cael Butler-ss/2b 5020, Lawson Neiswender-p/1b 4212, Andrew Pentz-2b/p 5121, Logan Kunkle-3b/ss 4131, Merek Sutika-rf 2210, Hunter Tkacik-1b/lf 3110, Connor Luzier-cr/p 0000, Lincoln Hoyt-c 3101, Kyler Nelen-lf/cf 3013, Blaine Witherite-ph 1111, Gavin McDermott-cf/p 5201. TOTALS 35 11 12 10.
Juniata Valley – 9
Mason Buckley-ss/3b 4132, Ethan Scalla-2b/p 4002, Levi Thompson-cf/ss 3222, Connor Robinson-c 3011, Kyler Spurlin-p/1b 5012, Blayne Sager-cr 0000, Adrian Prough-cr/p 0000, Bo Hoover-p/2b 0000, Elijah Johns-3b 4120, Nate Rodkey-rf 1000, Zach Dick-1b/p 5000, Conner Harbst-rf 2100, Matt Dick-rf 0000, Lucas Dick-cr 0100, Gavin Smith-rf/cf 2120, Jordyn Couch-lf 2200, Robert Hess-lf 1000. TOTALS 36 9 11 9.
- 2B: Buckley, Thompson
- 3B: Pentz
- HR: Witherite, Neiswender
- HBP: Scalla, Robinson
- SB: Buckley, Robinson, Sager, Smith
- CS: Kunkle, Butler
- E: Tkacik, Kunkle, Nelen
PITCHING
- Curwensville: Neiswender-5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 6 SO, 3 BB; Pentz-1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 SO, 0 BB; Butler-0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 SO, 2 BB; McDermott-0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 SO, 1 BB.
- Juniata Valley: Scalla-1.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 SO, 2 BB; Spurlin-0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 SO, 2 BB; Prough-0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 SO, 2 BB; Hoover-5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 SO, 4 BB; Z. Dick-0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 SO, 0 BB.
W-Pentz (2-2)
L-Hoover (0-2)
The second game did not have as many total runs as the entire first game, but it did feature a different result. The Hornets got the scoring going first and never looked back, holding off Curwensville in a 4-2 final to split the afternoon.
Neither team got on the board in the first inning, but the top of the second was when things changed drastically. With two outs on the board, but two runners on base due to a single and an error by Logan Kunkle at short, Connor Robinson connected on an 0-2 pitch that made its way to third. Caleb Pierce, unfortunately, failed to handle the ball. This allowed Zach Dick to get to the plate for the first run. On the errant throw, Robinson made it to second, while Connor Harbst worked his way home. The two-run error would put the Hornets out front, a lead they would not yield.
Errors continued, but this time it benefited the Tide in the third as Andrew Pentz, who started the day as the pitcher but by the third had moved to the designated hitter position, reached on an error by Levi Thompson, allowing Cael Butler to cross home to cut the lead in half.
That would be as close as Curwensville would get, as relief pitcher Levi Thompson was having a solid outing.
He would get the win on the afternoon, his first of the season, in a five-inning effort, striking out eight and giving up two runs.
Juniata Valley got another pair of runs in the top of the fifth, first coming on an RBI-double by Kyler Spurlin, then two batters later it was Zach Dick that made the play on an RBI-single to center field to bring Spurlin into home, making it 4-1. Curwensville got one run back in the bottom half of the inning courtesy of an RBI-single from Pentz, but could not get any closer as the innings closed out.
Pentz ultimately took the loss on the afternoon, making him 1-for-2 on the day for games. The loss saw him go six innings, giving up four runs, with none earned.
Curwensville (4-7) is now in the second half of their season as they continue their homestand on Thursday afternoon when they host Mount Union. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.
GAME 2-SCORE BY INNING
Juniata Valley 020 020 0 – 4 7 2
Curwensville 001 010 0 – 2 6 4
Juniata Valley – 4
Levi Thompson-ss/p 3010, Bo Hoover-2b 4100, Kyler Spurlin-p/1b 4121, Mason Buckley-dh 4000, Zach Dick-1b/3b 4131, Connor Harbst-rf 3100, Lucas Dick-lf 3010, Blayne Sager-cf 3000, Connor Robinson-c 3000. TOTALS 31 4 7 2.
Curwensville – 2
Cael Butler-2b 4210, Merek Sutika-rf 3000, Andrew Pentz-p/dh 4012, Logan Kunkle-ss 3010, Hunter Tkacik-1b 3010, Lincoln Hoyt-c 3010, Lawson Neiswender-1b/p 2010, Cooper Haag-cr 0000, Kyler Nelen-lf 2000, Blaine Witherite-ph 1000, Gavin McDermott-cf 3000. TOTALS 28 2 6 2.
- 2B: Spurlin/Tkacik
- HBP: Thompson
- SF: Sutika
- SB: Spurlin/Butler
- E: Thompson-2/Kunkle, Butler, Pierce-2
PITCHING
- Juniata Valley: Thompson-2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 SO, 0 BB; Spurlin-5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 8 SO, 1 BB.
- Curwensville: Pentz-6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 4 SO, 0 BB; Neiswender-1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 SO, 0 BB.
W-Spurlin (1-0)
L-Pentz (2-3)
GOLDEN TIDE SCOREBOARD:
Date Opponent Score Record
3/18 BROCKWAY ppd. 0 – 0
3/21 @ Juniata Valley ppd. 0 – 0
3/25 MO VALLEY 0 – 10 0 – 1
3/26 @ Juniata Valley 9 – 9, susp. 0 – 1
3/28 @ Claysburg-Kimmel 1 – 5 0 – 2
4/02 BROCKWAY ppd. 0 – 2
4/04 WEST BRANCH ppd. 0 – 2
4/06 @ Union 0 – 13 0 – 3
4/09 @ Wiliamsburg 4 – 1 1 – 3
4/11 @ Brockway 3 – 2, susp. 1 – 3
4/13 @ Harmony ppd. 1 – 3
4/15 @ Brockway 10 – 2 2 – 3
4/15 BROCKWAY 8 – 2 3 – 3
4/16 GLENDALE 7 – 14 3 – 4
4/18 @ Tourney vs. Altoona 0 – 16 3 – 5
4/19 @ Tourney vs. Tyrone 2 – 4 3 – 6
4/23 JUNIATA VALLEY 11 – 9 4 – 6
4/23 JUNIATA VALLEY 2 – 4 4 – 7
4/25 MT. UNION
4/26 HARMONY
4/27 WEST BRANCH
4/30 @ Mo Valley
5/02 @ West Branch
5/03 PURCHASE LINE
5/07 WILLIAMSBURG
5/08 @ Glendale
5/15 @ Harmony