KERSEY — Rain washed out the first day of the Continental Collegiate Baseball League Playoffs Saturday, but Dingers of Clearfield wasn\’t affected by the delay, edging St. Marys 5-3 and regular season champion State College 3-1 in extra innings Sunday to qualify for the National Amateur Baseball Federation College Division World Series beginning Aug. 3 in Toledo, Ohio.
State College came back to nip St. Marys 4-3 in the loser\’s bracket final to earn the league\’s berth in the All American Amateur Baseball Association (AAABA) National Tournament in Johnstown starting Aug. 8.
Because CCBL officials had to condense their double-elimination tourney into one day, games were shortened from nine to seven innings, and Clearfield and State College were declared co-champs because of time constraints.
Dingers, which finished as runner-up to State College during the regular season, fell behind third-place St. Marys 3-0 in the top of the second inning when T.J. Nichols rapped a two-run single and Chris Zampogna followed with a run-scoring double.
Lefhander Brandon Baughman silenced the St. Marys bats after that, hurling a complete game four-hitter with eight strikeouts. He walked five.
His mates quickly changed the complexion of the game in the lower second. Walks to Bart McGary and Cory Bailor and Todd Shaw\’s fly ball single to short left loaded the bases for Dusty Woodring, who responded with a single for two runs. One out later, Todd Shickling singled home the tying run and two errors on the play allowed Woodring to score the winning run.
In the sixth, McGary doubled and scored the insurance run on Dustin Minarchick\’s groundout.
Dingers had only six hits off loser Ryan Josephs, including two by Shaw and one by Bailor.
Mike Davidson was the star against State College in the winner\’s bracket final. He snapped a 1-1 tie by drilling a two-run double to deep center field in the top of the ninth inning and then went to the mound to secure the victory. He surrendered only four hits in his complete game effort while striking out eight and walking just one batter.
Matt Moberg\’s single, two groundouts and a passed ball gave State College an unearned run in the fourth, and Matt McEwen carried the shutout into the seventh, but Dingers forced extra innings when Jim Collins was hit by a pitch, advanced to third as Davidson reached base on an error and then scored on a clutch, two-out single by Schickling.
Jason Zinc, who had struck out 14 while two-hitting Kersey 6-0 in State College\’s first game, relieved McEwen and wound up the loser.
Davidson had two of Dingers\’ five hits. Woodring and Shaw also had singles.
Manager Ed Yeager\’s club will take a 12-5 record into its third consecutive NABF World Series.
Kersey opened the CCBL tourney with a 10-0, six-inning win over Lewistown before falling to State College.
After losing to Clearfield, St. Marys ousted Lewistown and Kersey 5-0 on Ken Vogt\’s two-hitter to make it to the loser\’s bracket final.