SHIPPENVILLE — On a day that ended because of a sloppy field set forth by a downpour, Port Allegany’s baseball season came to an end thanks in large part to sloppy play in an 11-5, six-inning, rain-shortened loss to Clarion in the District 9 Class A quarterfinals Thursday at the Clarion County Park.
“I feel bad this is how we ended it,” Port Allegany coach Nate Zitnik said. “This isn’t how we got here. When you walk guys, make errors and make awful mental mistakes, you aren’t going to win. I guess it’s a good lesson, but it’s not the way I wanted it to end for the seniors, who are three really good leaders.”
The Gators (12-7) were done in by six errors, five walks and a hit batter as well as a couple of glaring mental errors in the field including a huge one on a Clarion bunt in the first inning where no one covered first base that, along with a pair of errors and a walk helped stake the Bobcats (18-3) to an early 3-0 lead.
“I guess for our guys who are coming back, they learned a lesson,” Zitnik said. “This is not how you win playoff games.”
The errors along with most likely nerves had to play a role in a less-than-stellar performance by Port Allegany freshman Garrett Talkington on the mound. Talkington, the Gators No. 2 pitcher all season — No.1 Sam Kysor was unavailable because he pitched in the first-round win over Oswayo Valley Tuesday — struggled in his 2 1/3 innings of work allowing eight runs, six earned, on six hits and three walks while striking out one.
“He has pitched really well when he throws strikes,” Zitnik said. “He didn’t have his ‘A’ game today. I definitely don’t necessarily regret having Garrett start. He’s easily our No. 2, and he has thrown well all year. At this point, he isn’t a freshman anymore. He’s a sophomore. I expect more of him, and I am sure he expects more of himself.”
Probably the pivotal point in the game for Talkington and the rest of the Gators was in the bottom of the third after Port Allegany sent 10 men to the plate in the top of the inning and scored four runs to cut a 5-0 Clarion lead to a single run at 5-4.
But two hits, an error and a walk drove Talkington from the game, and reliever Dylan Kio had little success against three batters and retiring none of them giving up a double, a walk and hitting a batter.
Cory Burr relieved, and looked to get out of the inning when Max Lane hit a grounder to second, but new second baseman Talkington, who replaced Burr at the spot when Burr took the mound, allowed the ball to get through him for a two-run error allowing Clarion to break the game open with a six-run bottom of the third.
“It’s kind of been an Achilles heel,” Zitnik said. “How we played today, is a perfect example of how you don’t. When we’ve been playing well, we’ve been throwing strikes and playing great defense behind the pitchers. Hopefully, the younger guys learn that and take those lessons to Legion and the other ball they play.”
Port got a strong game from Kysor, (who is heading to South Carolina Upstate on a baseball scholarship) who was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs. His ground-rule double to left-center field in the third inning was the big hit of the rally for the Gators, who were aided by four walks issued in the inning by Clarion starter and winner Tanner Klein, who went four innings allowing four earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out five.
Rickie Bova also had an RBI groundout in the third, and Kysor scored on a run in the inning on a wild pitch.
Port’s fifth run came in the sixth when Kysor beat out and infield single to shortstop, went to second on an error, third on a groundout and scored for a second time of a wild pitch.
Brendan Miller was 2-for-2 with two runs scored to lead Clarion, while Tanner Corbett was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored and Camron Kirkland was 1-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.
NOTES: The game was called after a torrential downpour hit the County Park with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning rendering the field unplayable … Clarion faces Elk County Catholic in the semifinals Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
ECCHS ADVANCES
ST. MARYS — Elk County Catholic eliminated Ridgway 6-3 as Jack Herzing fired a five-hitter, struck out 13 and walked seven in going the distance.
At the plate, Herzing had three singles. In addition, Brock McCullough had three singles, Jonathan Dippold had a pair of hits and Ben Reuscher doubled.
Jesse Reynolds suffered the mound loss, allowing 11 hits, fanning two and walking four.
Reynolds (double), Josh Mitchell (double), Mike Covac (RBI single) and Ben MacDonald (RBI single) led the Elkers (10-8).
The Crusaders play Clarion in a semifinal game Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
J’BURG BLANKS COUDY
JOHNSONBURG — Cameron Grumley’s two-run double in the first inning proved to be all Johnsonburg needed, as the Rams knocked off defending District 9 champion Coudersport 3-0 in the District 9 Class A baseball quarterfinals Thursday.
Johnsonburg (14-2) ace Cole Peterson was dominant, tossing a complete game shutout for the top-seeded Rams, who advance to play the Cranberry-Otto Eldred (Friday, 4:30 p.m.) winner Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.
Devon Zilcoski gave the Rams an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth, with an RBI single scoring Quinn Luhr.
Coudersport, which finishes the season with a record of 13-6, threatened in the fifth, but Peterson was able to get out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by inducing an inning-ending double-play.
