https://clarionsportszone.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Cutter.jpg

Clarion Baseball Falls To DCC In Tight Contest (04/26/2018)

(By CSZ Sports Writer Kenn Staub) Despite outhitting Dubois Central Catholic (DCC) the Clarion Bobcats were unable to parlay this advantage into enough runs to defeat the Cardinals. To this end, Clarion held the lead early, but DCC pulled away from the boys in orange and black during the fourth and fifth to take a 5-2 win at County Park on Monday, April 23.

Cutter Boggess retired the first ten DCC batters he faced.

Clarion freshman Cutter Boggess, making his first career varsity start, was perfect for the Bobcats through the opening three innings. Boggess stuck to a script that has served Clarion well the past few seasons, pounding the strike zone and letting the defense make plays.

DCC starter Anthony Kness held Clarion scoreless in the first inning before stumbling slightly in the second. Kness walked the Bobcats’ Cole Slaugenhaup to open the bottom half of the frame. Slaugenhaup stole second while Kness was in the process of issuing a four pitch walk to the next hitter, Lake Staub. Boggess followed Staub at the plate. Kness, his control just a tick off, threw a wild pitch during Boggess’s at-bat, allowing Slaugenhaup and Drew Whren, running for Staub, to each advance a base. Boggess hit Kness’s next offering to right, plating Slaugenhaup and spotting the Bobcats to a 1-0 lead. Kness righted the ship following Clarion’s run and got out of the inning without further damage.

Boggess opened the fourth by retiring DCC’s lead-off hitter, but then issued a free pass to the next batter, Brandon Walker. Thomas Grecco drove a one out single to right, moving Walker to third. Grecco moved into scoring position when Boggess unleashed a wild pitch during Domenic Toretti’s at bat, eventually walking the Cardinal hitter to juice the bases. Everybody advanced one on a balk, a misstep that forced Walker across the plate with DCC’s first run, knotting the game at 1-1. Grecco scored from third when Kness hit into a fielder’s choice, making the score 2-1 before the Bobcats’ could quell the Cardinal uprising.

Kness, despite issuing a lead-off single to Slaugenhaup, emerged from the bottom of the fourth unscathed, striking out two of the next three Bobcat hitters.

Noah DiTullio hauls in a throw from catcher Lake Staub to thwart a DCC steal attempt.

DCC added to their lead in the top of the fifth. Boggess hit the first two batters he faced, Damon Foster and Zach Edwards, respectively. Clarion manager Rob Jewett responded by bringing in Cal German to pitch, sending Boggess to the dugout to the accompaniment of appreciative applause for his efforts from the Clarion fans. Tyler McIntosh connected with German’s first offering, which though looking fairly innocuous, resulted in an overthrow down the first base line, allowing Foster and Edwards to come around and score, giving DCC a 4-1 lead. McIntosh also attempted to score on the same play, but a throw from the outfield to Staub, playing catcher, got him at the plate. German walked the next batter, who was thrown out by Staub on a steal attempt, and then induced Grecco to ground out on a come backer to end the inning.

Clarion threatened in their half of the fifth, but were unable to cut into DCC’s lead. Kness plunked Noah DiTullio to start the inning. With one out, Cam Craig grounded to the shortstop, who flipped the ball to the second baseman in an attempt to start a double play. The second baseman pulled his foot early, allowing DiTullio to slide in safely and Craig to reach first when the throw was delayed. The Bobcats couldn’t capitalize on this opportunity and left the inning still down by three, 4-1.

Nick Frederick made his first appearance on the mound in 2018, working the final two innings.

After walks to the first two batters to start the sixth, Jewett made a pitching change, bringing in Nick Frederick. Frederick, in his first appearance on the mound this season, got the Bobcats out of the jam to keep the score at 4-1. Kness responded in the bottom of the sixth for the Cardinals by putting the Bobcats down in order.

DCC scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Toretti singled in McContish, giving the Cardinals a 5-1 lead.

Clarion again threatened in the bottom of the stanza. Whren singled off DCC reliever Toretti to open the inning, advancing to second on a line drive single by DiTullio. The next batter ground into a double play that saw Whren go to third. Craig would walk and then advance to second when Sterling Conner singled, a hit that drove in Whren to make the score 5-2. Skylar Rhoades followed Conner with a single of his own, loading the bases. Torreti escaped from this jam by inducing the next Bobcat batter to fly out to end the game, preserving the Cardinals victory.

Boggess had a single and RBI to help his own cause.

DCC eked out three hits, singles by McIntosh, Grecco, and Toretti. Toretti and Kness had an RBI apiece. Clarion had six singles, the product of at-bats by Conner, Rhoades, Slaugenhaup, Whren, Boggess, and DiTullio. Conner and Boggess were credited with an RBI apiece.

Kness got the win for the Cardinals, giving up two hits and striking out a half dozen in his six innings of work. Toretti picked up the save. Boggess took the loss for Clarion, surrendering but a single hit and fanning two in his four inning stint. German pitched an inning in relief of Boggess, with Frederick closing out the game on the mound for the Bobcats.

(photographs by Christie Datko)