BUTLER, Pa. – A dramatic extra-inning, walk-off victory followed by an impressive senior effort in game two, led the Clarion baseball team to a doubleheader sweep of Pitt-Johnstown on senior day.
Clarion (11-31, 4-20 PSAC) walked off in game one with a 7-6 victory in 9 innings and took game two by a final score of 8-4.
Game 1
Pitt-Johnstown broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning, plating three unearned runs to take a 4-1 lead late in the game.
As would be the theme of the game, Clarion did not go away quietly. After senior
Matt Kamenicky led off with a hit by pitch, freshman
Nick Fugh laced a doubled off the wall to make it 4-2. One batter later,
Chandler Palyas would single to bring around Fugh and make it 4-3.
The Mountain Cats again would benefit from a sloppy Clarion defense, plating two more unearned runs in the sixth to stretch the lead to 6-3.
Answering the bell again in the seventh, Palyas sent a two-run blast over the right field wall to make it 6-5 with no outs. Senior
Brady Andrews would follow with a single and then stole third and scored on an errant throw to knot things up at 6-6.
Clarion starter
Jeremy Frazier would stay on and work out of jams in the 8
th and 9
th innings to give the Golden Eagles a fighting chance.
In the bottom of the ninth, Palyas led off with a double down the right field line and advanced to third on an error by the right fielder. Two batters later, a wild pitch would send Palyas and the Golden Eagles to the thrilling 7-6 victory.
Frazier went all nine, allowing just two earned runs while only walking one and striking out seven.
Game 2
Kamenicky got the Golden Eagles on the board first in game two, lacing an RBI double down the left field line to plate fellow senior
Devin Beverly. Kamenicky would steal third and score on an error by the catcher to give Clarion an early 2-0 lead.
The Mountain Cats got a pair of RBI singles off Clarion starter
Nate Torbich in the top of the fourth to tie things up at 2-2.
Clarion would break things open in the fifth, starting with an RBI single by senior
Brady Andrews, followed by an RBI single by sophomore
Mike Connell.
Bryce Jackson and Kamenicky each reached on hit by pitches with the bases loaded to give Clarion a 6-2 lead after 5 innings of play.
Pitt-Johnstown would score two in the sixth off Clarion reliever
Tiler Sadowski, but freshman
Josh Kirwin would come on to end the threat, striking out a pair.
Connell added a pair of insurance runs with a two-run blast to left field, and Kirwin would stay on to record the final three outs and earn the save.
Torbich picks up the win, tossing five innings allowing just one earned run while striking out five.
Clarion's senior trio of Kamenicky, Andrews, and Beverly combined to go 6 for 8 with four RBI's in game two.
