BRIDGEPORT, W.V. - Heading south to West Virginia for a non-conference single nine inning game, the Clarion baseball team picked up their third win of the season, defeating Fairmont State by a final score of 9-7. Clarion (3-12) will look to keep the momentum going, as they will play host to Mercyhurst at Jack Critchfield Park on Thursday, March 24 with first pitch slated for 4 pm.
Clarion 9, Fairmont State 7
Recap: Fairmont State jumped put to an early3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning and built their lead to 5-0 early in the third inning after scoring two runs on a homerun.
Kasey Shughart hit a towering homerun to left field that carried deep out of the ballpark to put Clarion on the scoreboard trailing 5-1, but the Falcons answered with another run in the bottom of the third to regain the five run lead.
Clarion scored one more run in top of the fourth after
Sam Economy was hit by a pitch and
Lenny Piccini reached on a fielder's choice to put runners on first and second base. After
Griffin Snyder walked, Clarion loaded the bases for the first time in the game, threatening to cut into the Fairmont State lead.
Economy was able to score after a throwing error by the Falcon's first baseman making the score 6-2.
The Golden Eagles kept the offense rolling into the next inning, scoring one more run to cut the Fairmont State lead in half, 6-3.
Tim Irons started the inning with a leadoff walk and advanced t second on a wild pitch and then advanced to third after Shughart singled though the left side.
Caden Contant walked in the very next at bat to load the bases for Clarion and after a Daren Byer's sacfly, Irons scored to give Clarion life midway through the game.
The score remained locked at 6-3 until the top of the seventh inning when the Golden Eagles exploded for three runs on one hit and three Falcons errors.
Scott McManamon reached on an error by the Fairmont State shortstop and advanced to second after another fielding error allowed Byers to reach base safely. Economy was hit by another pitch to load the bases and after a third fielding error by the left side of the Falcon infield, Clarion scored one run to make the score 6-4.
Matt Privette tied the game in the next at bat, singling to left field, driving in both Byers and Economy to make the score 6-6.
Fairmont answered with one run in the bottom of the seventh inning, using one hit to score one run to momentarily take the lead, but the scorching hot Clarion attack answered back with two runs of their own to regain the lead, 8-7.
Shughart started things off with a walk, and Contant reached base on a throwing error to put two runners on base for Clarion. McManamon drove a fastball up the middle of the diamond to score one run to tie the game, but it was Byers who came through in the clutch, hitting a fly ball deep enough to score the go ahead run as Clarion led 8-7 at the end of the eighth.
The Golden Eagles added an insurance run in the top of the ninth to make the score 9-7, after a Shughart double to centerfield scored
Tyler Meachum who came in to pinch run for Dan Fox.
Joe Rossi picked up his first win of the season, tossing 2.0 complete innings of baseball, allowing no hits, while striking out two Falcon hitters.
Privette, Shughart and Byers each picked two RBI's for Clarion, pacing the offensive attack.
