CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield American Legion Post No. 6 baseball team had a rough first day as one of the 19-and-Under Division hosts for Bellefonte Showdown XXVI, a Mid-Atlantic Wooden Bat Summer Showcase.
The Chiefs were nipped 4-3 in 8 innings by Falls (Pa.) Legion Post No. 834 and downed 7-2 by FSK Legion Post No. 11 of Frederick, Md., Saturday afternoon.
FSK trimmed Falls 3-1 in the middle game of the triple-header at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park Field behind the pitching of left-hander Nick Meekens and a two-run homer by David Canada.
Against Falls, Clearfield wasted a strong start by Garrett Marsh, who gave up only four hits and two earned runs, both unearned, in six innings. The DuBois Legion team right-hander struck out six and walked two. He also hit one batter.
Aaron Sayers was tagged with the loss when Falls (12-4-1) scored two runs with two outs in the top of the eighth. Sayers\’ fourth walk forced in a run, and Mike Albert singled for what proved to be the winning tally.
In the bottom of the frame, Clearfield made it interesting against winner James Brown.
Two walks and a hit batsman loaded the base with one out. Wil Bacharach grounded out for an RBI, but Marsh was called out on a close play when he tried to score on pitch that rolled to the backstop. Falls catcher Chris Bechter retrieved the ball and threw to Brown, who applied the tag just before the diving Marsh touched the plate.
Brown, ace of the 2008 Harry S. Truman High School team, had relieved Tyler Erhard after Michael Moyer walked and Bacharach rolled a single over third base to start the do-or-die seventh.
He walked Jarrin Campman before Parker Herrington sliced a single to right for two RBIs and a 2-2 tie.
Campman was perched at third base as the winning run, but Brown struck out the next two Chiefs before Danver lofted a fly ball to right.
Falls, a team of players from Harry S. Truman, Pennsbury and Conwell Egan Catholic high schools in the Levittown area, broke the ice in the fourth on an error, two stolen bases by Len Monks and John Kobal\’s groundout.
A pair of hits around a Clearfield error and then a wild pitch by Marsh made it 2-0 in the sixth.
The Chiefs had six hits, two walks and a hit batsman against the 16-year-old Erhard but left two runners on base in five innings. They wound up stranding 13.
\”That\’s just so frustrating,\” Clearfield manager Sid Lansberry said. \”It\’s a continuing story from the spring (high school season). We just leave too many guys on base.
\”(Marsh) just got tired, and Aaron didn\’t pitch badly. He was within one pitch, several times, of getting out of that inning.\”
Campman and Sayers had two singles apiece for the Chiefs.
In the nightcap, FSK hurler Beau Smith limited Clearfield to four singles while striking out four, walking one and hitting one.
The Chiefs had only one hit over the last four innings after playing small ball for single runs in the first and third to forge a 2-2 deadlock.
Smith started the game by plunking Campman, who stole second, moved to third on Herrington\’s bunt and scored on Ben McGary\’s sharp grounder that hit the pitching rubber and bounced high into the air.
FSK\’s Zach Walther socked a two-run homer over the left field fence in the second inning, but Clearfield drew even when Wil Bacharach reached base on an error, Matt Lonjin sacrificed and Herrington singled through the left side for an RBI.
One of the Chiefs\’ four errors gave the visitors the winning run in the fourth, Jimmy Lanning scoring after lashing a double to right.
FSK, a combination of players from Frederick, Thomas Johnson and Tuscarora high schools, chased McGary with three runs on four hits in the fifth. Brent DeHaven slashed a two-run triple to left center and trotted home on Frank Zier\’s single to right center.
A hit batsman and another Clearfield misplay accounted for the final run in the sixth.
FSK (9-1) had 10 hits off McGary, who plays for the Curwensville Legion team.
\”His curve ball wasn\’t sharp, and I think he got a little tired, too,\” Lansberry said. \”This game was a lot tighter than 7-2.\”
The setbacks dropped the Chiefs to 6-7 for two more tourney games Saturday afternoon, 12:30 against the Kiski (Pa.) Baseball Club and 5:30 against Laurel (Md.) Legion Post No. 60.
\”We\’d like to win, but this is good competition for our kids,\” Lansberry added.
FALLS LEGION — 4
Chris Wiertz rf 4000, Len Monks lf 3220, Chris Bechter c 3000, John Kobal 1b 1002, Tyler Erhard p 0000, James Brown p 0000, Mike Albert dh 4011, Bob Monahan 3b 4000, Ben Keller cf 3000, Steve Monahan ss 2000, Dustin Milewski 2b 2010, Tom Mackey pr 0100, Tyler Ward eh 3110. TOTALS: 29 4 5 3.
CLEARFIELD LEGION — 3
Jarrin Campman rf-2b 3020, Parker Herrington 2b-p 3012, Ben McGary cf 4000, Kyle Kline ss 3010, Derek Danver 3b 3000, Tanner St. Clair lf 4000, Aaron Sayers eh-p-rf 3120, Kyle Timchak pr 0000, Corey Bookhamer 1b 2000, Michael Moyer 1b 0100, Matt Lonjin c 1000, Wil Bacharach ph-c 3111. TOTALS: 32 3 7 3.
Score by Innings
Falls 000 101 02 – 4 5 4
Clearfield 000 000 21 – 5 7 4
Errors – B. Monahan, S. Monahan 2, Milewski; Campman, Herrington, Marsh, Bacharach. LOB – Falls 8; Clearfield 13. Sac – Danver. SB – Monks 2, S. Monahan 1, Mackey 2.
Pitching
Falls – Erhard 6+ IP (faced 2 batters in 7th), 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K; Brown 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.
Clearfield – Marsh 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K; Sayers 1-2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 0 K; Herrington 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
HB – Erhard 1 (Kline), Brown 1 (Marsh); Marsh 1 (Kobal). WP – Marsh 1. Balk – Erhard 1.
W – Brown. L – Sayers (0-1).
Umpires – Sam Bevak (home plate); Frank Keenan (bases).
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CLEARFIELD LEGION — 2
Campman cf-2b 2100, Herrington 2b-p 2011, McGary p-cf 2011, Curtis Frye ph 1000, Kline ss 3000, Danver 3b 2010, Sayers rf 2010, Bookhamer 1b 1000, St. Clair 2000, Bacharach eh 2100, Lonjin c 0000, Timchak ph 1000. TOTALS: 20 2 4 2.
FSK (FREDERICK, Md.) LEGION – 7
Nick Meekens cf 4140, Brent DeHaven ss 412, Frank Zier 3b 3011, Jimmy Lanning eh 3120, Beau Smith p 0000, Brian Neuens dh 2110, Zach Walther rf 2112, Hank Adams 1b 2000, David Canada lf 3000, Danny Foit 2b 2100, Jimmy King c 2110. TOTALS: 28 7 11 5.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 101 000 0 – 2 4 4
FSK 020 131 x – 7 11 1
Errors – Campman, McGary, Danver, Lonjin; LOB – Clearfield 3; FSK 7. 2B – Meekens 2, Lanning. 3B – DeHaven. HR – Walther. Sac – Herrington, Sayers, Bookhamer, Lonjin. SB – Campman; Lanning, Walther.
Pitching
Clearfield – McGary 4-1/3 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Herrington 1-2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
FSK – Smith 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.
HB – Herrington 1 (Foit); Smith 1 (Campman).
W – Smith. L – McGary (0-1).
Umpires – Joe Shick (home plate); Kenny Knepp (bases).
