HEPBURNIA – Clearfield capped a spectacular second half run in the Jefferson County Legion Baseball League by turning three double plays and then scoring five runs with two outs in the sixth inning to down rival Curwensville 7-2 at Thorp Twins Memorial Field Tuesday evening.
The Chiefs tallied six more runs in the top of the seventh, but when the umpires called the game because of darkness with one out in the bottom of the inning, the final score reverted back to the end of the sixth.
Manager Sid Lansberry\’s Chiefs won nine of their last 10 league games for a 13-7 finish and will take a 20-8-1 overall record into the JCL playoffs, which get under way Thursday with DuBois visiting the Bison Sports Complex for a 5:30 p.m. game. Regular season champion Punxsutawney will host Brookville in the other game. The winners and losers will be paired in the second round Friday.
With Lansberry limiting starter Michael Moyer and Adam Jury to a pitch count because of the upcoming playoffs, David Welker got a rare turn on the mound and responded with three scoreless innings to notch his second win. He surrendered four hits, struck out one and walked two.
Jarrin Campman staked Moyer to a 2-0 lead when he sliced a two-out single into right center. Jury\’s single to right and Kyle Kline\’s double to deep center preceded Campman\’s two-out hit.
The Haymakers, who finished 7-13, got one run back in the bottom of the inning, Moyer walking Jesse Hoover with the bases loaded via a walk and singles by Brett McCracken and Philip Solley.
Jury relieved in the second with the bases full of Haymakers again and got out of the jam when his middle infielders executed the Chiefs\’ first double play.
Curwensville loaded the sacks for the third consecutive inning on an error and two walks but had to settle for only the tying run when Jury plunked Wes McGarry.
McGarry had the game\’s defensive gem in the second inning, robbing James Zimmermann of a three-run homer with a running grab as he crashed into the left field fence, and that play seemed to inspire McCracken, who kept the Chiefs at bay over the next three frames.
However, the Haymaker right-hander tired in the sixth and just couldn\’t get the third out. After not walking a batter, he issued four free passes. Two forced in runs.
Campman led off with his second hit and was at second base two outs later. Then, Corey Bookhamer walked and Aaron Sayers grounded a single into left to load the bases. Jury drilled his third single of the game into left for the game-winning hit, driving in two runs.
Sayers scored when Curwensville failed to get an out when Zimmermann, who walked, beat the throw to second base on Brandon Evans\’ slow roller to the left side. Walks to Kline and Campman gave the Chiefs two more runs.
Campman had three RBIs, while Jury wound up with three hits and lost a fourth when the seventh inning rally was nullified.
Solley, who tripled, and Justin MGary each had two hits for the Haymakers.
CLEARFIELD – 7
Adam Jury 4232, James Zimmermann 3100, Brandon Evans c 4001, Kyle Kline 3b-ss-3b 2111, Jarrin Campman rf-3b-cf 3123, David Welker cf-p 3000, Justin Hoffman lf 3000, Corey Bookhamer 1b 2110, Michael Moyer p-f 1010, Chris Barr dh 1000, Aaron Sayers rf 1110. TOTALS: 27 7 9 7.
CURWENSVILLE – 2
Ben McGary cf 3110, Justin McGary 1b 4020, Brett McCracken p-2b 4010, Philip Solley 3b-p 4020, Nate McGary 3110, Jesse Hoover ss 2001, Cory Bloom c 1000, Brett Sutika 2b 1000, Tyler Johns 2b-3b 1010, Wes McGarry lf 1001, Derek Dixon lf 0000. TOTALS: 24 2 8 2.
Score by Innings:
Clearfield 200 005 – 7 9 1
Curwensville 101 000 – 2 8 2
Errors – Campman; Hoover, McGarry. DP – Clearfield 3 (Kline, Zimmermann and Bookhamer; Zimmermann, Jury and Bookhamer; Kline, Zimmermann and Bookhamer). 2B – Kline. 3B – Solley. Sac – Welker. CS – Kline (by Bloom).
Pitching
Clearfield – Moyer 1-1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; Jury 1-2/3 IP 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; Welker 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
Curwensville – McCracken 5-2/3 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 1 K; Solley 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER,0 BB, 0 K.
HB – Jury 1 (McGarry); McCracken 1 (Kline).
W – Welker (2-0). L – McCracken.
Umpires – Norm Bender, Joe Shick.