Clarion Little League: Week 8 Recap…Final Regular Season Standings, Gun Raffle Winners, All-Stars Announced (06/14/2018)

(By CSZ Sports Writer Kenn Staub)  Well I’m almost caught up with my weekly recaps, finally. This recap covers the last week of the regular season and leads into the Clarion Little League (CLL) tournament (which will be almost completed by the time you read this). I hope to have a recap of tournament week posted on Sports Zone sometime next week.

Week 8 (June 4-8) featured a full-slate, with single games schedule Monday-through-Thursday and a twilight twinbill on Friday. There was a bit of a shake-up in the standings, as Rotary and Delta Contractors swapped places at week’s end, altering the seedings going in to tournament week. The final regular season standings are at the end of this column.

The winning tickets for CLL’s season-long Gun Raffle fundraiser were pulled between games of Friday’s doubleheaders. See the screen capture below for a list of winners. CLL President Brian Smail has a variety of projects which the proceeds might help fund. These include improvement of the batting cages at the softball field, building a new, larger storage shed at the upper field, and/or building a covered seating area for the concession stand.

The rosters for this year’s 10u and 12u All-Star teams were announced. Rosters can be found on the Clarion Little League All-Stars Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CLLAllStars/), an excellent site to follow the progress of the boys in red, white, and blue during the postseason. Plans are also tentatively to publish an all-star preview on this site.

Monday, June 4: Rotary 10 – SMI 9

Once again SMI (away) came close to getting its break through win, but once again it fell heartbreakingly short. How close did SMI come to winning its first of the season; Rotary (home) needed some last inning heroics to stave off defeat.

SMI led 3-1 after the first inning and went up 5-1 after two. Rotary held SMI scoreless over the course of the next two innings, using that lull to score five in the third and one in the fourth, forging ahead 7-5. SMI came right, back plating three in the fifth, going up 8-7. Rotary scored one in the bottom of the frame to knot things up heading into the final inning. The lead swung back to SMI’s when they scored one in the top of the sixth, but Rotary answered with two in the bottom to secure a one-run victory.

SMI’s Dauntae Girvan was 4-4, rapping two singles and two doubles. Brayden Murray and Jack Craig were each 2-2. Murray homered and doubled, Craig singled twice. The Wyatts, Aaron and Watterson, both went 1-3 at the plate.

Bryce Brinkley and Tommy Smith of Rotary each turned in 3-4 performances. All Brinkley’s hits were triples, whereas Smith went yard and knocked two triples. Brady Quinn singled and doubled. Liam Huwar had a single.

The win gave Rotary a 9-5 record. SMI remained winless at 0-12

(statistics courtesy of Rotary’s scorebook kept by Pat Kahle)

Tuesday, June 5: Pizza Pub 12 – Lions 2 (four innings)

Lions (away) opened the scoring, plating one in the first, but then fell silent during the next two innings. In the interim, Pizza Pub (home) went to work, as nine players crossed the plate during the bottom of the first inning and two more in the second to give them a commanding 11-1 win. Lions finally got back on the board in the fourth, scoring one. Pub matched this in bottom, clinching a “ten-run rule” win.

Lions managed three hits, a double by Jake Smith and singles from Mason Gourley and Lucas Mitrosky. Pool player Paul Craig was credited with an RBI.

Four pitchers took the mound for Lions. Jake Smith threw two-thirds of an inning, striking out two. He was followed by Lucas Mitrosky, Hayden Weber (one inning, one strikeout), and Nathan Frederick (one and two-third innings, two strikeouts).

Five Pub players had multi-hit games; Kohen Kemmer (three singles), Ethan Rex (single, double), Tanner Miller (two singles), Nick Aaron (two singles), and Hayden Hindman (two singles). Parker Miller collected a single. Kemmer, Aaron, and Rex were good for two RBI each, Tanner Miller and Aaron both picked up one.

Kemmer pitch one and a third innings for Pub, fanning one. Aaron struck out two in one and two-third innings. Hayden Hindman also saw an inning on the mound.

Pubs win gave them a 5-9 record, Lions fell to 7-6-1.

(statistics courtesy of Mike Smith’s GameChanger)

Wednesday, June 6: Burns & Burns 6 – Delta Contractors 1

Delta Contractors (away) scored its only run of the game in the top of the third. Meanwhile Burns & Burns (home) tallied three in the first, two in the third, and one in the sixth to take a 6-1 victory.

Jase Ferguson (two doubles) and Jimmy Kerr (two singles) both had multi-hit games for Delta. Also contributing hits were Jesse Siwiecki (triple), Logan Lutz (single), and Alex Love single.

Burns’s Dawson Smail had three hits, two home runs and a double. Devon Lauer and Derek Smail both singled and doubled. Ty Rankin rapped a single.

Burns record went to 11-2-1. Delta’s loss gave them a 9-5 record, putting them in a tie for second with Rotary.

(statistics courtesy of David Smail)

Thursday, June 7: Burns & Burns 13 – Pizza Pub 3

Pizza Pub’s (away) three run first would account for all its runs in the game. Burns & Burns (home) went off for seven in the third to take a 7-3 lead. From there, Burns extended its lead with each inning played, plating one in the fourth, four in the fifth, and one in the sixth to win the game going away.

Pub’s Miller brothers were both 2-3, as both Tanner and Parker singled and doubled. Ethan Rex was also 2-3, coming through with two singles. Kohen Kemmer and Kwynton Leadbetter each singled.

Derek Smail led Burns with three hits, a home run and two doubles. Dawson Smail hit his second home run in two games. He also doubled. Kothan Smith and Dylan Smail each smacked two singles. Reese Runyan had one. Gabe Anderson doubled.

Burns’s win solidified its league leading 12-2-1 overall record. Pub’s 1-1 record for the week set the final regular season record at 5-10.

Burns, managed by David Smail, ended the regular season in first place. As the tournament’s first seed, Burns will play Tuesday, June 12 against an opponent to be determined in the opening round doubleheader on Monday, May 11.

Pizza Pub, managed by Ryan Kemmer goes into the tournament as the fifth seed and will play a first round game Monday, May 11.

(stats courtesy of David Smail)

Friday, June 8 (GAME 1): Rotary 15 – Delta Contractors 7

Delta Contractors (home) scored three runs in the top of the first, Jayden Siwiecki doubling to drive in two, later scoring himself on a Jimmy Kerr single. Rotary (away) responded with two in the bottom, Tommy Smith tripled to drive in Bryce Brinkley and then crossed the plate when Owen Kriebel followed with a single.

The top of the second saw Delta add to its lead. Siwiecki again wielded the big bat in Delta’s three run inning, doubling to drive in his third and fourth runs of the evening. Hurler Jase Ferguson preserved Delta’s 6-2 lead in the bottom of the frame, fanning the three Rotary batters who ventured to the plate.

Smith, Rotary’s pitcher, kept Delta from doing any further damage in the top of the third, striking out the away team’s side on ten pitches. He ultimately punched out nine in his five innings of work.

Rotary started to take over the game in the bottom of the frame, putting the ball in play and capitalizing on Delta errors. Brinley led off by reaching on an error and scooted to third when Smith singled, his second hit of a 3-3 night. Kriebel then delivered the first big blow of the frame with, of all things, a bunt. A throwing error to first on his tapper allowed Brinkley to score. An Aiden Coulson single plated Smith, making the score 6-4, and drove Kriebel to third. Another throwing error to first, this time on a Brady Quinn grounder, gave Kriebel a pass home and allowed Coulson to race around the bases from second to tie the game 6-6. Quinn, who went to third on the play, subsequently scored on a wild pitch, putting Rotary ahead 7-6, a lead it never relinquished.

After shutting out Delta in the top of the fourth, Rotary extended its lead to 8-6 as Kriebel doubled in Smith, who had doubled in the preceding at bat.

Delta closed in on Rotary during the fifth. Kaden Ferguson led off with a double and scored on a wild pitch four batters later, tightening the game at 8-7.

Rotary, however, put things away in its half of the fifth. Walks to Liam Huwar and Riley Rinker and an infield single by Billy Kahle loaded the bases. Another walk, this time to the appropriately named Brady Walker, plated Huwar, extending the Rotary lead to 9-7. Brinkley, batting after Walker, cleared the bases with a triple to give Rotary a 12-7 lead. Rotary would parlay another walk, an error, passed ball, and infield sacrifice into three more runs, giving it a 15-7 victory when Delta couldn’t score in the sixth.

Lutz was 3-4 for Delta, hitting three singles and driving in one. Jayden Siwiecki was 2-4, with two doubles and two RBI. Kaden Ferguson doubled. Jesse Siwiecki and Kerr each singled. Kerr plated a run.

Jase Ferguson got the start on the mound for Delta, pitching two innings and striking out three. Jesse Siwiecki came on in relief, throwing the final three innings and punching out three.

Rotary’s Smith was 3-3. He flirted with the cycle, singling, doubling, and tripling. Smith had an RBI. Bryce Brinkley went 2-3 with a double triple, and three RBI. Kriebel also had a multi-hit game, going 2-3 with a single, double, and three RBI. Aiden Coulson was good for a single and RBI. Billy Kahle also singled.

Kriebel pitched the first inning for Delta. Smith came on in the second and went the rest of the way, striking out nine in his five inning outing.

Rotary’s second win of the week elevated its record to 10-5 and moved them up to second place in the regular season standings. Delta’s loss dropped the team to 9-6 on the season and into third place going into the tournament.

Bill Smith’s Rotary team will play as the second seed on Wednesday, June 13 against an opponent to be determined in Monday’s (June 11) opening round.

Friday, July 8 (Game 2): Lions 13 – SMI 0 (4 innings)

In the second game on Friday, pitchers Gabe Simko and Jake Smith combined to throw a one-hitter in Lions 13-0 “ten run rule” victory over SMI.

Lions (away) scored five in the first and four in both the second and third as they cruised to victory. SMI (away) threatened to get on the board in the top of the fourth, loading the bases before Jake Smith struck out three in a row to end the game.

Simko and Trey Hooks had multi-hit games for Lions. Simko doubled twice and was credited with three RBI. Hooks had two infield singles and plated two. Nathan Frederick doubled for Lions, while Mason Gourley singled. Frederick was good for two RBI, with Smith and Lucas Mitrosky chipping in one apiece.

Simko pitched the first two innings for Lions, striking out five. Smith pitched the third and fourth, collecting four strike outs.

Jack Craig got SMI’s only hit, a single.

Lions finished the regular season with an 8-6 record. SMI closes out winless at 0-15.

The Lee Weber managed Lions team will play fifth seeded Pizza Pub, helmed by Ryan Kemmer, in the first game of a doubleheader on

Lions, with Lee Weber at the helm, entered this week’s tournament as the fourth seed and played fifth seeded Pizza Pub, under the guidance of Ryan Kemmer, in the first game of a doubleheader Monday (June 11).

Ben Aaron’s SMI team is the tournament’s sixth seed and will play Mike Ferguson’s third seeded Delta team in the second game of Monday’s twinbill (June 11).

(featured image courtesy of Diane Lutz)