Clarion Area Little League 13-14 All-Stars Win District 25 (07/13/14)

Friday, July 11, 2014 is a very significant day for Major League Baseball, as it marks the 100th anniversary of Babe Ruth’s major league debut. Ruth began his big league career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, on that date, in 1914. He pitched 7 innings and picked up the win, as Boston defeated the Cleveland Naps, 4-3.

District 25 13-14 Year Old Champs – Front (L-R) Colby Himes, Ian Callen, Sterling Conner, Archer Mills, Drew Wrhen, Cole Grenci
Back (L-R) Manager Todd Smith, Noah Meyers, Cam Craig, Coach Kevin Himes, Ian Hawthorn, Christian Smith, Dominic Fleming, Spencer Miller, Coach Scott Miller

Friday, July 11, 2014 is also a pretty significant day for the Clarion Area 13-14 year old All-Stars, as they defeated Oil City, 9-2 to win the District 25 Championship, the first 13-14 District 25 title in ten years for Clarion.

Clarion was the visiting team for the game played at Paul A. Weaver Park, by virtue of a coin toss.

Spencer Miller had a stellar game on the mound, for the “visitors,” picking up the complete game victory, giving up just 2 runs on 6 hits. Miller threw 6 strikeouts and walked just three batters.

Miller, who also had a solid game offensively, going 2 for 4, with an RBI, opened the game with a lead-off single. He stole second base and scored on a single by Christian Smith, giving Clarion a 1-0 lead.

Oil City failed to score in their half of the inning.

The second inning saw Clarion push three more runs across the plate. Colby Himes reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second. He scored on a single by Ian Callen. Callen later scored on a single by Miller, and Miller, in turn, scored on a hit by Cameron Craig.

Clarion again held Oil City off the scoreboard, with Miller throwing two strikeouts to end the second.

Noah Myers had a lead-off single, as Clarion batted around, in the top of the third. Ian Hawthorn drove Myers in with a double. Hawthorn then proceeded to steal third and home, to move Clarion’s lead to 6-0. With one out in the inning, Himes singled. He later scored on a bases loaded walk to Craig. Clarion led 7-0 after 2 ½.

The score held until the bottom of the fifth, when Oil City’s Dylan Chopin and Caden Highfield scored, cutting Clarion’s lead to 7-2.

Clarion answered with two runs, in the top of the fifth, with Craig and Myers crossing the plate.

Neither team scored the rest of the way as Clarion secured the 9-2 victory and the District 25 Championship.

In addition to Miller’s offensive stats, listed above, Craig and Smith went 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Noah Meyers was 3 for 4 with a run driven in. Himes drove in a run, while going 2 for 4. Hawthorn had a double and an RBI. Callen had a single and Sterling Conner had an RBI.

Coach Todd Smith had this to say about his winning pitcher, “Spence (Spencer Miller) just pitched a great game. It’s hard even in the regular season to pitch a complete game on only ninety-five pitches. And to do it in that setting, in an All-Star game, for a championship, I thought that was really big.”

He went on to compliment Miller and others in the top of the Clarion batting order, “And Spence hit the ball well too. But really the whole top of our lineup did. (Miller) and Cam Craig and Christian and Noah Myers are all hitting the ball really well and driving in runs. Colby Himes has been really driving in runs the whole tournament.”

And on the team as a whole he said, “It’s been a team effort, a lot of guys being unselfish, being willing to lay down bunts when we need it and utilizing our speed to steal bases and put ourselves in position to score more runs.

“I’ve gotten to coach this group over the years, coaching (his son) Christian, coaching his friends. They’re just a great group of young men. It’s going to be neat to see them move on. I’m sure they are all going to be successful in all they do.”

Coach Smith is happy for several who have never had this experience before. “That is the first time the Junior League has won a title in ten years. And one of the things I would say is, we have three kids who have never been part of a district title: Cole Grenci, Drew Whren and Dominic Fleming. So I’m happy for those guys. I know it was important to them, being part of this team and they contributed as well. All three have put the ball in play and made some big catches for us in the outfield, over the whole tournament. I’m just happy for them that they can be part of something like this.”

Clarion went 3-0, in the tournament, outscoring their opponents 36-6 (20-1 over Cranberry, 7-3 over Franklin and 9-2 over Oil City. They will now enter the Section 1 Tournament. Their first game is against LeBoeuf from Erie. Other teams competing are Dubois and Meadville. Cranberry will also host the State Tournament.

Congratulations Clarion 13-14 All-Stars. The Babe would be proud!!!!