DUBOIS, Pa. — Experiencing a shutout loss is a devastating feeling for any baseball team, but the Curwensville Golden Tide had a bitter and ugly taste in their mouths on Tuesday. The DuBois Central Catholic Cardinals put up 12 runs in the opening inning, eventually winning the game, 15-0, in a short three-inning contest.
Curwensville did not have long to recover from the loss, because the Tide and the Cardinals would meet up 24 hours later, this time with the winners playing host.
The second game of the series did not see 15 runs from one team, as both squads combined for barely half that amount. However, the Cardinals once again finished on the better side of the scoreboard, as they handed the Tide their second-straight loss in as many days, 5-3.
Curwensville was the first to get on the board, scoring the opening run in the first on a groundout that had Jake McCracken out at first, but it was Jake Mullins coming home. The Tide added another run in the second on a fielder’s choice. A pair of singles allowed Shane Sunderlin to advance to third, with Thad Butler on second. Shane Haney grounded into the fielder’s choice, but Sunderlin crossed home to increase the lead to 2-0.
Things took a turn in the bottom half of the inning.
Curwensville had two outs already on the board, but a double by Kaden Brezenski had a runner in scoring position. Taven Lukehart capitalized with an RBI-single into center field to open the scoring for the Cardinals. Two batters later, as Zach Spellen was struck by a pitch allowing Lukehart to move to second, Matt Pyne launched a fly ball into center field. It looked like an out, but was misplayed by center fielder Chris Fegert, and it allowed two runners to cross home to give the Cardinals the one-run lead, 3-2.
It wasn’t until the fifth inning when Curwensville fell into a deeper hole. Once again, two outs on the board, Pyne would walk, then Carter Hickman singled in the hole between second and third. Pyne moved to third, putting runners on the corners.
Damon Foster then connected on a line drive into center field, and the RBI-single added an insurance run for the home squad. One batter later, with Neel Gupta in as a courtesy runner, Dante Arminini struck a liner up the third-base line. Gupta managed to get home, but when Arminini was trying to make it to second, he was tagged out on the throw as Spencer Hoover hurled a quick strike to Mullins, who moved from second base to shortstop in a lineup change.
Still, the 5-2 advantage gave the Cardinals just enough of a lead to hold on.
Curwensville managed one more run in the top of the fifth, however the bats went silent the remainder of the game. Curwensville only collected six hits on the afternoon, leaving five runners stranded.
Hickman earned the win on the afternoon, going five and one-third innings, striking out eight, and giving up only the three runs. Chase Graham got dinged with the loss, pitching three and two-thirds innings, giving up all five runs, three earned, and striking out two.
Curwensville (4-6) hits the halfway point of the season in the midst of four consecutive games in as many days. On Thursday, the Tide hit the road to face Brockway, weather permitting, hoping to sweep the season series. It was a week earlier that the Rovers and Tide battled in a high-scoring contest where Curwensville emerged victorious, 20-12.
SCORE BY INNING
Curwensville 110 010 0 – 3 6 2
D.C. Catholic 030 200 X – 5 7 0
Curwensville – 3
Jake Mullins-2B/SS 4110, Spencer Hoover-C 4010, Jake McCracken-SS/P 2001, Matt Brown-DH 3000, Shane Sunderlin-3B 3110, Tyler Lee-1B 2010, Thad Butler-RF 3010, Chase Graham-P/RF 2000, Josh Shaffer-PH 1000, Shane Haney-LF 3111. TOTALS 27 3 6 2.
Dubois Central Catholic – 5
Matt Pyne-CF 3100, Carter Hickman-P/2B 3020, Damon Foster-SS/LF 4011, Dante Arminini-RF 2011, Brandin Anderson-DH 3000, Kaden Brezenski-3B 3110, Jalen Kosko-LF/P 3010, Taven Lukehart-1B 3111, Zach Spellen-2B/1B 2100, Neel Gupta-CR 0100. TOTALS 26 5 7 3.
LOB: 5/7
E: Fegert, McCracken
ROE: Foster, Pyne
2B: Brezenski
FC: Haney
HBP: Spellen
SB: McCracken, Mullins/Foster, Pyne
Pitching
Curwensville: Chase Graham-3.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 SO, 2 BB; McCracken-2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 SO, 1 BB.
D.C. Catholic: Hickman-5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 8 SO, 2 BB; Kosko-1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 SO, 0 BB.
W-Hickman
L-Graham
S-Kosko
