BUTLER, Pa. (EYT/D9) — When Dawson Smail saw the funny hop in center field, he knew he had a chance.
Around second. Then third, touching home plate safely for a very unorthodox inside-the-park home run for the junior on the Clarion baseball team.
The odd homer gave the Bobcats a 3-0 lead in the top of the sixth and plenty of cushion for pitcher Devon Lauer, who was masterful in a complete-game shutout as Clarion downed Moniteau, 6-0, at Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park on Thursday afternoon.
(Pictured above, Dawson Smail)
“I didn’t get really good contact on it,” Smail said of his liner up the middle. “I just didn’t know it had potential to take that crazy hop. Once I saw it, I’m just like, ‘Alright. I’m gone.’”
It was Smail’s third home run of the season. The Xavier recruit went 2 for 3 with two runs scored, including one in the top of the first inning as the Bobcats manufactured a run against Moniteau pitcher Dawson Wallace.
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Smail led off with a double and moved to third on a groundout by Lauer. Noah Harrison followed with a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead for Clarion.
It looked like a very important run at the time.
That’s because Lauer and Wallace were locked in a pitcher’s duel.
Both right-handers gave up just one hit in the first four innings.
That small-ball run for Clarion loomed larger and larger as the zeros lit up on the scoreboard.
“We’ve been working on those things,” said Clarion coach Rob Jewett. “Those are the small things that are gonna help beat better teams and Moniteau is a great team. Well coached.”
Clarion (6-2) finally broke through again with a run in the top of the fifth when Dauntae singled with one out. Pinch-runner Bryce Brinkley stole second and moved to third on an error. Hayden Weber then followed with another sacrifice fly for the Bobcats to make it 2-0.
Smail’s mad dash to the plate made opened the game up in the sixth for Clarion. Lauer followed Smail’s homer with a single and scored on a triple by Harrison for a 4-0 lead.
Derek Smail then drove Harrison home with a sharp single for a 5-0 Bobcat lead.
Clarion added another run in the seventh on a fielder’s choice groundout by Wyatt Watterson.
That was more than enough for Lauer on the mound.
Lauer scattered five hits and struck out seven over his seven innings. He didn’t walk a batter. He needed just 82 pitches to polish off Clarion’s first complete game outing of the season.
“Devon has been throwing really good all year,” Jewett said. “We haven’t really stretched him out. I kept asking him, ‘You good? You good?’ and he just kept wanting the ball. He was working ahead. We kind of held his curveball back to the later innings, which was nice. Then he started mixing it up. He threw strikes and kept the defense on their toes and they backed him up.”
Fittingly, Clarion turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.
The Bobcats committed just one error.
“I really liked the way our defense played today,” Jewett said. “I feel like we got some good reads in the outfield. Kept the ball in front. Hayden did a nice job behind the plate. All around, very good.”
(Devon Lauer)
Lauer said he felt good right from the start.
He was getting calls on the outside corner with his fastball and poured in strike after strike out there throughout the game.
“I just kept hitting it and kept grounding them out,” Lauer said.
It was Lauer’s second win of the season and he lowered his ERA to 0.82.
Meanwhile Smail upped his average to .593 on the season. In 27 at bats he has three homers, seven doubles and 13 RBIs. He’s also walked nine times and struck out just five.
“That’s why he hits leadoff,” Jewett said. “He just gets things going right away. He’s got a great eye and he uses the entire field. Now he’s trying to pull the ball and he’s a good baserunner. He’s aggressive and he can stretch singles into doubles. He just loves the game and you can tell.”
Smail is also a tactician at the plate.
Always thinking. Always plotting to take advantage of the pitcher and the other team’s approach against him.
“At the beginning of the game, I’m just trying to set the tone,” Smail said. “I just try to take the ball where it’s pitched and do damage with that and let my legs do the rest of the work. But later in the game I’m just trying to do all that I can.”
Keagan Book had two hits for Moniteau.
Wallace had a double for the Warriors.
Wallace also pitched well, especially early. He went all seven, striking out four and walking just one. Five of the runs against him were earned. He threw 67 of his 88 pitches for strikes, his only walk coming to Smail in the seventh inning.
“Dawson did a great job getting ahead and working different pitches,” Jewett said. “He was getting us out on our front foot and kind of rolling us over, so he did a good job shutting us down for awhile until he finally got going. It was a good win.”
Clarion Area High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
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