Pizza Pub Wins Two, Finishes Regular Season In Third Place, At 10-5 (06/09/14)
Pizza Pub downed Rotary, finishing a suspended game, on Thursday and Delta on Friday, in Clarion Little League action to finish the regular season at 10-5, good for a third place regular season finish. Pizza Pub Manager, Jason Craig shared these summaries of the two games.
Pizza Pub 6 – Rotary 4
It took two days to complete, but on June 4th (and finishing on the 5th) the Pizza Pub beat Rotary 6-4 to improve to 9 and 5 on the season.
(Photo by Christie Datko)
Nate Datko on the mound for Pub! Mitch Knepp is ready at 1st.
The game started off with a bang, as Curvin Goheen took the first pitch of the game and sent it over the right field fence. Cal German, who was hit by a pitch, would later score on a double by Braden Rankin and Rotary would jump out to a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Josh Craig would walk and advance to third on a double by Nate Datko. Craig would then score on a sacrifice fly by Ian Larson and the Pub cut the lead to 2-1.
Beau Verdill started the second inning with a walk. Later, as he tried to steal third, the ball went in to left field and he scored to take a 3-1 lead. Pizza Pub was unable to score in the bottom of the second.
After Rotary was held scoreless in the top of the third, the Pub scored 2 runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 3. In the inning, Datko singled and Larson doubled to drive him in. Benny Murtha followed with a triple to right that scored Larson. The game was then suspended due to rain and would be resumed the next day.
In the top of the fourth, Rotary batters were retired in order. In the home half of the inning, Michael Snyder got on by a dropped third strike and Milt McElravy was hit by a pitch. Conner Kromer drove in Snyder with a single and Datko would single to score McElravy. Kromer would then score on a passed ball and the Pub lead 6-3.
Cam Lapinto got one of the runs back with a solo shot to right field. Cal German would follow with a single, but Rotary would get no closer. Neither team would score again and the game would end 6-4 in favor of the Pub.
Travis Devey, Curvin Goheen and Hunter Craddock pitched for Rotary, giving up 6 hits while walking three and striking out 10. Josh Craig and Nate Datko pitched for the Pub. They gave up 5 hits while walking four and striking out 14 batters.
Pizza Pub 12-Delta 6
On June 6th, Pizza Pub would end their regular season with a 12-6 win over Delta.
(Photo by Christie Datko) Ian Larson pitches great game for Pub!
Delta came out swinging in the first inning. Chase Kriebel and Noah DiTullio would single to start the game and Brady Fowkes would reach on an error. Cole Slaugenhoup followed with a double and Bryson Huwar added a single. When it was all said and done, Delta scored three runs. The Pizza Pub answered in a big way. Conner Kromer and Josh Craig singled and Nate Datko doulbed to drive them both in. Ian Larson and Benny Murtha followed with singles and then Michael Snyder drove a ball to the fence for a double that scored Larson and Murtha. Snyder was stranded on third and the Pub would lead 5-3 after one inning.
Larson would settle down and held Delta scoreless in the second, giving up a single to Kriebel. Kromer, Datko and Murtha all singled in the bottom of the second as Kromer’s run gave Pizza Pub a 6-3 lead after two complete innings.
Slaugenhoup, who walked in the top of the third, would score on a single by Corbin Coulson as Delta cut in to the Pub lead. However, Pizza Pub would send 10 batters to the plate in the home half of the inning, scoring 6 runs to increase the lead to 12-4. Datko and Larson doulbed in the inning as Cody Whitling, Milt McElravy, Kromer, Murtha and Snyder added singles.
Larson was getting stronger as the game went on and retired the side in the top of the fourth, throwing only 7 pitches.
Whitling and Craig singled, but the Pub was unable to score and the score remained the same after 4 innings.
Delta threatened in the top of the fifth, but two great plays by Luca Cherico at third base got the Pub out of the inning and kept Delta from scoring. The Pub was retired in order in the bottom of the fifth.
Delta would score two runs in the top of the sixth off of a hit batter and two singles by Ryan Alston and Kriebel followed by a double by DiTullio. The final was set at 12-6.
(Photo by Christie Datko) Ian Larson pitches great game for Pub!
Ian Larson took the mound for the Pub and would pitch an outstanding game. He and Benny Murtha together gave up 10 hits while walking 3 and striking out 7 batters. McElravy had a single for the Pub. Craig, Larson, Snyder and Whitling each had two hits while Kromer, Datko and Murtha had three hits a piece.
DiTullio, Slaugenhoup and Kriebel pitched for Delta, striking out 8 batters without a walk. Slaugenhoup, Huwar, Alston, Coulson and Matus each had 1 hit. DiTullio had two hits and Kriebel lead the way with 3 hits for Delta.
The win moved Pizza Pub to 10-5 on the season. This was the same record that SMI and Rotary would finish with. However, tiebreaker rules would set Pizza Pub at third place on the season.
(Thanks to Coach Craig for this article and to Christie Datko for the great photos.)