ALTOONA — After starting the 2026 season an impressive 5-0, the Curwensville Golden Tide seemed to hit a wall and have shown some vulnerability. After the loss on Tuesday, Curwensville had dropped four of the last six games, two of them by double-digit margins. In the hopes of turning things around, a Thursday afternoon delight was on tap at a different venue for the Tide. The team headed south to one of the premier minor league fields in baseball, as they once again were invited to participate in the Altoona Curve Invitational at People’s Natural Gas Field. On the docket for the opening round was the Northern Bedford County Panthers.
The stat line did not improve as Curwensville was held to only two hits, while four errors by the defense led to a 13-3 loss, dropping the season record to 7-5.
Those errors were the key in the opening inning for the Panthers to get the lead. After Cael Butler mishandled a fly from Kolson Feathers to center field, a pair of walks loaded the bases. Nolin Snider then lined to second, but Breck Finn could not handle the ball for any kind of play, which brought in two runs to get the scoring started. A two-RBI double by Zach Bowers then made it 4-0, with an RBI-single from Nevin Lloyd scoring another run. The Panthers went through the entire lineup in the opening inning to take a 5-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Feathers on the afternoon, as he kept the Tide guessing all game long. He would go the distance, yielding only two hits, to earn the win.
Lawson Neiswender, by contrast, struggled on the hill for Curwensville. After giving up the initial five runs, he would yield another four in the bottom of the third, all on RBI-singles from Lloyd, Jordan Free and Ty Kagerise. He would ultimately get dinged with the loss as he was pulled after the initial three innings
Curwensville got three runs back in the fourth, first from a fielder’s choice by Lincoln Hoyt that resulted in Butler crossing the plate, then a two-RBI double by Peyton Perks.
The fifth inning resulted in a lot of miscues. A passed ball resulted in Brett Cottle making it home to increase the lead to 10-3. Another error by Butler resulted in two runners crossing the plate. All the Panthers needed was one more run to finish the afternoon, and they got that in a major way when a line drive by Carter Watson resulted in Kagerise making it around the bases from second to conclude the afternoon, and force the Tide to fall to 7-5 on the season.
Curwensville will play in the consolation game on Friday at People’s Natural Gas Field when they play a familiar opponent, the Williamsburg Blue Pirates, whom they already played once this season, an 11-5 victory in Williamsburg.
It will be an early start for the two squads, as the schedule is tentatively scheduled for first pitch at 10 a.m. if the weather allows.
SCORE BY INNING
Curwensville 000 30 – 3 2 4
Northern Bedford 504 04 – 13 7 0
Curwensville – 3
Cael Butler-cf 3110, Breck Finn-2b 1000, Lawson Neiswender-p 1000, Lincoln Hoyt-c 2001, Gavin McDermott-dh 2000, Peyton Perks-rf 2012, Trenton Best-ss 2000, Cayden Pierce-3b 2000, Kyler Nelen-lf 2000.
Northern Bedford – 13
Kolson Feathers-p 4200, Jordan Free-ss 2212, Ty Kagarise-2b 3211, Nolin Snider-dh 4100, Carter Watson-1b 3221, Zach Bowers-lf 3012, Erik Swanseen-3b 2100, Silas Weitzel-c 2000, Braden Zellers-ph 0000, Brett Cottle-cr 0200, Nevin Lloyd-rf 2122. TOTALS 25 13 7 8.
2B: Perks/Bowers
3B: Watson
SB: Feathers-2
E: Butler-2, Best, Finn
Pitching
Curwensville: Neiswender-3 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 3 ER, 5 SO, 4 BB; Passmore-1.2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 3 SO, 3 BB.
Northern Bedford: Feathers-5 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 SO, 2 BB.
W-Feathers
L-Neiswender (4-2)
Golden Tide Baseball Scoreboard
| DATE & OPPONENT | SCORE | RECORD |
| 3/16 HARMONY | PPD. | 0-0 |
| 3/21 vs. Clarion Limestone (In Dubois) | 10-0 | 1-0 |
| 3/24 MOSHANNON VALLEY | 7-6 | 2-0 |
| 3/27 JOHNSONBURG | PPD. | 2-0 |
| 3/28 HARMONY (1 p.m.) | 14-0 | 3-0 |
| 3/31 WEST BRANCH | 11-9 | 4-0 |
| 4/1 at Harmony | PPD. | 4-0 |
| 4/7 at Williamsburg | 11-5 | 5-0 |
| 4/9 at Juniata Valley | 3-14 | 5-1 |
| 4/11 at Claysburg-Kimmel (10 a.m.) | 1-16 | 5-2 |
| 4/14 GLENDALE | 17-1 | 6-2 |
| 4/15 SOUTHERN HUNTINGDON | 8-13 | 6-3 |
| 4/17 PURCHASE LINE | 11-0 | 7-3 |
| 4/21 JUNIATA VALLEY | 3-4 | 7-4 |
| 4/23 vs. Northern Bedford Altoona Curve Invitational-PNG Field in Altoona |
3-13 | 7-5 |
| 4/24 vs. Williamsburg Altoona Curve Invitational-PNG Field in Altoona |
 |  |
| 4/28 at Moshannon Valley | Â | Â |
| 4/30 at West Branch | Â | Â |
| 5/2 REDBANK VALLEY | Â | Â |
| 5/5 WILLIAMSBURG | Â | Â |
| 5/6 at Glendale | Â | Â |
