Clarion Little League: Week Seven Recap…Still Behind, Thanks Tracy Girvan, Expanded Coverage Of Friday’s Doubleheader (06/13/2018)

(By CSZ Sports Writer Kenn Staub)  As I type this the Clarion Little League (CLL) tournament is underway, which means my recap of Week 7 is coming to you a bit late. I’ve always disliked people who walk around talking about how busy they are…we’re all busy and we’re all trying to do the best we can. Sometimes we all have things that get set aside temporarily or get delayed in favor of more important things (or, to be frank, pushed back because of other things we would rather be doing). Unfortunately, Sports Zone is one of those things that sometimes has to take a back seat for me, hence the delay.

One person I know is busy would be Tracy Girvan, who is running the CLL concession stand in 2018. As anyone who has ever been affiliated with the league or managed/been involved with the concession stand can tell you, this is a huge, and often thankless, undertaking. It’s more than just serving snacks, it includes ordering supplies, arranging for coverage, cooking, and a myriad of other responsibilities. Doing it successfully requires a lot of extra time, extra energy, and, sometimes, worry. As CLL President Brian Smail emailed me, “I would like to publicly thank Tracy Girvan for the wonderful service that she is giving to the community by running our concession stand this year. This is one of the hardest volunteer positions for us to fill on a yearly basis, and she has done an amazing job.” As a former CLL Board Member and league vice-president myself, I concur with Mr. Smail’s sentiments and would also like to publicly thank all those who have undertaken this task in the past and will do so in the future. Additionally, I want to give a shout out to Nathan Girvan and the Girvan children, who can often be seen in the concession stand lending a helping hand.

On to the games. Week 7 was a bit truncated owing to the Memorial Day holiday on Monday. Individual games were schedule for Tuesday (May 29), Wednesday (May 30), and Thursday (May 31), with a traditional week-ending doubleheader on Friday (June 1). As usual, Mother Nature played a role in how the schedule actually played out. This time a rain storm forced suspension of play during Wednesday evening’s SMI vs. Delta Contractors match-up, which was then concluded on Thursday. You’ll also see some expanded coverage of Friday’s doubleheader, an offshoot of my reporting on those match-ups for The Clarion News.

Tuesday, May 29: Lions 5 – Rotary 4

This game wasn’t decided until the sixth inning, when Rotary (away) proved unable to respond to Lions (home) go ahead tally in the bottom of the fifth. Rotary finished its first at bat with a 1-0 lead, which Lions countered in the bottom by scoring two, taking a 2-1 lead. No runs crossed the plate in the second and scoring in the third proved similar to what was seen in the first; Rotary plated one in the top half, Lions two in the bottom to go ahead 4-2. Nobody scored in the fourth, as was true of all even numbered frames in this game. With a two run top of the fifth, Rotary tied the game 2-2. The tie was broken when Lions next came to bat. Gabe Simko hit his second solo shot of the game to set the score at 5-4 in Lions favor.

Tommy Smith and Owen Kriebel combined for five of Rotary’s seven hits. Smith had three singles, Kriebel two. The knocked in two apiece. Liam Huwar tripled and Bryce Brinkley chipped in a single. Smith and Brinkley stole bases.

Brinkley pitched the opening four innings for Rotary, fanning six. Smith pitched the fifth, striking out two.

Gabe Simko had a big bat for Lions, going yard twice for two RBI. Jake Smith doubled, with Hayden Weber, Nathan Frederick, and Brady Pierce contributing singles. Frederick had an RBI.

Pierce got the start for Lions, working two and two-thirds innings during which he struck out four. Smith came on in relief, punching out four in the final two and a third innings.

Rotary’s loss sent them to 7-5, while Lions improved to 7-4.

(stats courtesy of Brian Smail and Lions GameChanger, kept by Mike Smith)

Wednesday, May 30: Delta Contractors 9 – SMI 5

SMI (away) scored a run to open the game, but Delta Contractors (home) took the lead when they posted two during the bottom of the first. Delta then held SMI scoreless over the next two innings, scoring one in their half of the second to carry a 3-1 lead into the fourth. SMI took the lead in the fourth, plating three, but Delta came right back with four of their own to reclaim the advantage, 7-4. Delta added two more in the bottom of the fifth. Down 9-4, SMI could only manage a single run in its final turn at the plate, making the score 9-5.

SMI’s Dauntae Girvan and Brayden Murray both homered. Girvan was also good for a single. The Craig brothers, Paul and Jack, both doubled. Ben Aaron singled. Girvan drove in two runs. Murray, Aaron, and Jack Craig each received credit for one.

Logan Lutz was good for two of Delta’s five hits, a single and double. He had an RBI. Jesse Siwiecki, Jayden Siwiecki, and Kam Kemmer singled.

Delta ran its overall record to 8-4. SMI remained winless, 0-12.

(stats courtesy of Brian Smail)

Thursday, May 31: Burns & Burns 13 – SMI 3 (five innings)

SMI (away), playing its second game in as many nights, took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Like the previous evening, however, it was unable to hold the lead as Burns & Burns (home) came storming back with four in the second half of the frame, making the score 4-1. SMI scored single runs in the third and fifth, but these tallies did not stand up to the three runs Burns plated in the third, fourth, and fifth. The three in the fifth were the deciding factor, as the score went from 10-3 to 13-3 to set a “ten-run rule” ending.

Dauntae Girvan hit his second home run in as many games for SMI. He also doubled and was credited with an RBI. Brayden Murray and Drew Martz singled. Jack Craig had two RBI, Girvan one.

Burns’s Dawson Smail had a four hit evening, rapping three doubles and a triple. His offensive output was good for five RBI. Like his brother, Derek Smail also had for hits, all singles. He knocked in one. Ty Rankin also had a mulit-hit game, singling and doubling. Devon Lauer doubled and Kothan Smith singled. Smith drove plated two runs, Dylan Smail one.

Burns, playing its only game of the week,  moved to a league best 10-2-1 record. SMI fell to 0-13.

(stats courtesy of Brian Smail)

Friday, June 1 (GAME 1): Rotary 5 – Pizza Pub 4

Pizza Pub (away) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Tanner Miller singled to drive in Kohen Kemmer, who stood on second after leading off with a double.

Rotary (home) responded with three in the home half of the inning. Tommy Smith cracked a one out double and scored on a series of passed balls. With bases clear, Aiden Coulson rapped a two out single and moved to third on a Brady Quinn hit. Coulson and Quinn crossed the plate when Liam Huwar smacked a ball to right, giving Rotary a 3-1 lead.

Pub knotted the game in the third. With one out, Kemmer singled on a slow infield roller and moved to second owing to catcher’s indifference. Kemmer hustled to third when Miller hit a bouncer off the plate, sprinting to first himself. Nick Aaron then singled to score Kemmer. Miller, now perched on third, went home on a two out error, tying the game 3-3.

Rotary broke the tie in the third. Bryce Brinkley doubled and stole third, putting runners on first and third with no outs when the next batter, Smith, walked. Brinkley scored on a wild pitch, an errant toss that also advanced Smith to second. An infield grounder moved Smith to third and Coulson drove him in with a single to right, putting Rotary ahead 5-3.

Smith, Rotary’s pitcher, struck out the three Pub batters he faced in the fourth. Aaron, Pub’s hurler, returned the favor in the bottom of the frame, fanning the Rotary side.

Pub cut into Rotary’s lead during the fifth. Kemmer led off with his second double of the game and scored when Miller hit his third single, narrowing Rotary’s lead to 5-4.

Rotary threatened to extend their lead in the fifth, but left two runners stranded. Pub made things suspenseful when they came to bat in the sixth, putting the tying and go ahead runners in scoring position. With two outs, Pub’s runner on third broke for home after the catcher dropped the final throw of a four pitch walk. Rotary’s catcher swiftly corralled the ball, however, and tossed it to Owen Kreibel who, charging in from the mound, tagged the runner out, ending the game.

Pub’s Kemmer and Tanner Miller both had three hits. Kemmer rapped two doubles and a single. All Miller’s hits were singles. He drove in two runs. Aaron, Matt Alston, and Parker Miller each singled. Aaron and Miller each had a RBI.

Miller pitched the opening two and two-thirds innings for Pub, striking out three. Aaron closed out the game, fanning three in two and a third innings of work.

Brinkley singled, doubled, and stole a base for Rotary. Quinn and Coulson also had two hits apiece, all singles. Smith doubled and Huwar singled. Huwar plated two and Coulson one.

Smith opened the game on the mound for Rotary, striking out a very impressive twelve in four and two-thirds innings. Kriebel pitched the final inning and a third, whiffing two.

Rotary took the rubber match with Pub, giving them a 2-1 record against the black and yellow. The victory gave Rotary an 8-4 record. Pub, playing its only game of the week, dropped to 4-9.

Friday, June 1 (GAME 2): Delta Contractors 8 – Lions 6

Both teams scored a run in the first. The Lions’ (away) Jake Smith reached base on a two out ground ball to the right side, going home when Mason Gourley doubled. Logan Lutz got Delta Contractors (home) on the board, scoring from second on a Jase Ferguson single.

The game remained tied 1-1 until the fourth. Gabe Simko led off the top half with a single for Lions. He advanced to second when Smith singled, made it to third on a wild pitch, and raced home on a fly out to left field, giving Lions a 2-1 lead. The lead was short lived, as Delta jumped into the lead in the bottom of the inning when Lions proved to be its own worst enemy. Despite not getting a hit, Delta capitalized on three errors, three hit batters, and two walks to take a 6-2 lead.

Delta’s lead held until Lions came to bat in the sixth. Brady Pierce started things off for Lions with a single to left, advancing a base on a grounder to short. Smith then doubled with one out to bring Pierce home. Gourley followed with a double of his own, plating Smith to make the score 6-4. Nathan Frederick, next up, got hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Both move up a bag on a passed ball, with Gourley scoring and Frederick high tailing it for third when Hayden Weber grounded to short. With two down and the game in the balance, Frederick executed a gutsy steal of home to tie the game 6-6 and send it to extra innings when Delta couldn’t score during their at bat.

Despite getting runners into scoring position with one out Lions was unable to push anyone across the plate in the top of the seventh.

Delta struck fast in the bottom to win the game. Lutz led off with a fly to center, racing around the bases for a triple. He scored the winning run when Ferguson, batting next, played hero by smacking a homer, setting the score at 8-6.

The Lions Smith knocked a double and two singles. Gourley doubled twice. Pierce, Simko, and Lucas Mitrosky all singled. Gourly had two RBI and Hayden Weber, Frederick, and Smith one. Frederick also stole a base.

Simko was Lions starting pitcher, going three and a third and striking out eight. Pierce pitched two and two third innings in relief, punching out four.

Jase Ferguson had Delta’s only mulit-hit game, depositing one over the fence and singling. He led the team with three RBI. Lutz tripled. Kaden Ferguson and Kam Kemmer singled. Kaden Ferguson, Alex Love, and Hunter Lechner were each credited with an RBI. Jase Ferguson and Kemmer swiped bases.

Delta’s Jase Ferguson started on the mound and threw six innings, striking out seven. Lutz struck out three in his one inning of relief.

Delta won their second game of the week, making their overall record 9-4. Lions settled in at 7-5.

(featured image courtesy of Diane Lutz)