CURWENSVILLE-The regular season for baseball is set for 20 total games, sometimes slightly less if the weather forces some non-league games to be canceled due to time constraints. Those teams that go on to enjoy postseason action have to change the mindset and focus, as each game becomes a one-game season. Win and move on but lose and the season concludes. For the Curwensville Golden Tide, that postseason mentality took front and center on Tuesday afternoon. The opening quarterfinal matchup in the District IX 2A bracket saw them seeded in No. 3, taking on the No. 6 seed Cranberry Area Berries. For Curwensville, it gave them one final opportunity to play on their home field, and a chance to get one final win.
The game started back-and-forth, neither team giving an inch. All it took was one inning to change it all. Curwensville went from being down one run to shortening the afternoon, as a 10-run inning led way to a 14-4 victory that barely went five innings.
Cranberry was the one that initially seemed to have an answer for Tide ace, Lawson Neiswender. With two outs on the board, runners on first and second, Connor Morrow flew to right field for a two-run double to start the scoring. He would score during the next at-bat from Lincoln Galla’s RBI-double. The 3-0 lead suddenly disheartened the Tide faithful that came out to root on the home squad.
That would not last as Curwensville got back into it one inning later. After a lead-off double and a walk, Kyler Nelen ground to second and reached base when the throw went off target. Peyton Perks managed to cross home on the error.
Trenton Best then flew to left field that resulted in a two-run single, tying up the game and giving life to the home squad.
Neither team would get on the board until the fourth when Cranberry when Peyton Sloan’s ground out to first still resulted in a run scoring. The Berries were hyped for the lead, even after going to a new pitcher.
That hype lasted only through that half of the fourth.
Cael Butler walked to start the inning, then Gavin McDermott did the same. A fly out by Neiswender moved Butler to third, then a walk to Breck Finn loaded the bases. Perks then himself walked, giving an easy RBI, and a tied game. Morrow was relieved of his duty after completing two innings, but the tied game and bases loaded setup was an eerie feeling for all.
Lincoln Hoyt made the feeling vanish, as a hard ground ball to left allowed Finn to cross home and give the Tide the lead. McDermott managed to cross home as well, and the Tide started to feel the momentum change with the 6-4 scoreboard.
Nelen ground to right field to plate another pair of runs immediately after, then two batters later Cayden Pierce lined to left for an RBI-double. McDermott singled to left for another pair of runs, then a fielding error by Sloan and a sacrifice fly turned a 4-3 lead for the Berries into a 13-4 deficit. The 10-run inning saw three pitchers for Cranberry, and it seems to deflate everything they had in their arsenal for the remainder of the afternoon.
Neiswender retired the side in the fifth, leaving just one run needed for a mercy-ruled contest.
That came with two outs and a runner on third. Best connected on a deep ball to center field. The catch my Alex McIntyre was far enough that Hoyt tagged up, and immediately bolted for home, giving Curwensville the 10-run lead and a victory to move on into the semi-finals.
Neiswender’s fifth win came with five innings of work, striking out six and walking five. Morrow took the loss in Cranberry’s season finale.
The season for Curwensville (11-8) continues on and the mindset shifts once more to a one-game season. The Tide will face No. 2 seed Moniteau on Thursday, May 21. Unlike the opening round for Curwensville, this game will be on even turf, as the two squads will play at Shower’s Field in Dubois, with the first pitch set for approximately 6:30 p.m. following the other 2A semi-final, of Redbank Valley, who got the bye into the semi-finals, and Kane, who stunned No. 4 seed Brockway, 8-4.
SCORE BY INNING
Cranberry 300 10 – 4 3 5
Curwensville 030 (10)1 – 14 10 1
Cranberry – 4
Alex McIntyre-p 3100, Peyton Sloan-ss 2000, Jake McCloskey-cf 3000, Brody Bowler-1b 1100, Connor Morrow-lf/p 2112, Lincoln Galla-c 3011, Garrison Snyder-rf 2000, John Shreve-2b 1110, Zach Shumaker-3b/p 1000. TOTALS 18 4 3 4.
Curwensville – 14
Cael Butler-2b 2210, Gavin McDermott-lf 3222, Lawson Neiswender-p 4000, Breck Finn-ss 2100, Peyton Perks-rf 2211, Lincoln Hoyt-c 2222, Colby Proud-cr 0100, Kyler Nelen-cf 4213, Trenton Best-dh 3123, Cayden Pierce-3b 3111. TOTALS 25 14 10 13.
2B: Galla, Morrow/Pierce, Hoyt, Perks
SF: Best, Finn
SB: Nelen, Hoyt, Perks-2
PIK: Sloan
HBP: Sloan, Bowler
E: Shreve, Sloan-2, Shumaker-2/Pierce
Pitching
Cranberry: McIntyre-1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 SO, 1 BB; Morrow-2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 SO, 6 BB; Schumaker-0 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 SO, 1 BB; Bowler-1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 SO, 0 BB.
Curwensville: Neiswender-5 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 6 SO, 5 BB.
W-Neiswender (5-3)
L-Morrow
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 | 11-14 | 7-6 |
| 4/28 at Moshannon Valley | 5-8 | 7-7 |
| 4/30 at West Branch | PPD. | 7-7 |
| 5/5 WILLIAMSBURG | 11-1 | 8-7 |
| 5/6 at Glendale | PPD. | 8-7Â |
| 5/7 at Harmony | 11-0 | 9-7 |
| 5/11 at West Branch | 1-2 | 9-8 |
| 5/12 at Glendale | 20-5 | 10-8 |
| 5/19 CRANBERRY District IX 2A Quarterfinal | 14-4 | 11-8 |
| 5/21 vs. Moniteau, in Dubois District IX 2A Semi-Final |
