PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. – South Park used a four-run sixth inning to beat Clearfield, 4-0, in the opening round of the PIAA Class 4A baseball playoffs at Rich Kuntz Memorial Field in Punxsutawney.
Adam Morris’ triple to deep right with one out broke the ice scoring a pair of runs for the Eagles, who then got an RBI single from Josh Wagner and a run-scoring double from Mike Kentzel to finish off the scoring.
Up until the sixth, it was a classic pitcher’s duel between South Park sophomore lefty Kevin Vaupel, who long-time Clearfield manager Sid Lansberry said was the best pitcher the Bison face all year, and Clearfield junior righty Jake Sorbera.
Vaupel tossed a three-hit shutout walking three and striking out six.
Sorbera, who went 5 ⅓ innings, allowing four runs on four hits, a walk and a hit batter while striking out three.
It was the hit batter that got the fateful sixth started for South Park, as Sorbera plucked Bryce Goff with one out.
A defensive miscue by the Bison then made things worse, as Tyler Bylawski laid down a bunt trying to move Goff up 90 feet, and not only did that happen but Bylawski was safe at first when Clearfield failed to cover the bag.
According to Lansberry, it was the defensive call, not the execution that cost Clearfield.
Lansberry said that with one out and Bylawski having slapped a hard grounder to the left side in his previous at-bat, the Bison slid shortstop Will Myers into the hole and were defending the hit-and-run and steal first, which left Morgan out of coverage at first base with the first baseman charging on the bunt.
Morris followed with his triple, and Kyle Thompson walked ending the day for Sorbera.
Tommy Hazel came in to try to shut the door but gave up the Wagner single and the Kentzel double.
South Park, the WPIAL runner-up will take on WPIAL third-place finisher Hopewell, a 6-1 winner over District 10 champion Slippery Rock.
Clearfield finished the year 15-7.
SOUTH PARK 4, CLEARFIELD 0
Score by Innings
South Park 000 004 0 – 4
Clearfield 000 000 0 – 0
SOUTH PARK – 4
Tyler Bylawski ss 4110, Adam Morris cf 3122, Kyle Thompson 2b 2100, Josh Wagner 3b
3011, Mike Kentzel 1b 3021, Brenden Gray pr 0000, Steve Moore rf 3000, Mitchell
Roell lf 3000, Kevin Vaupel p 3000, Bryce Groff c 2110. Totals: 26-4-7-4.
CLEARFIELD – 0
Thayne Morgan 2b 3010, Reese Wilson cf 3000, Zane Morgan c 2000, Tommy Hazel lf-p
3010, Eli Glass 3b 2000, Ty Bender rf 3000, Will Myers ss 2000, Seth Bumbarger 1b
1010, Jake Sorbera p-lf 0000, Allan Myers dh 2000. Totals: 21-0-3-0.
DP – South Park 1 (Wagner and Thompson); Clearfield 1 (T. Morgan, Myers and
Bumbarger. LOB – South Park 3; Clearfield 4. 2B – Kentzel. 3B – Morris. Sac –
Bumbarger. HBP: Goff by Sorbera
PITCHING
South Park
Kevin Vaupel – 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 0 HP.
Clearfield
Jake Sorbera – 5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HP
Tommy Hazel – 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 HP
TOTALS: 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HP
Winning pitcher: Kevin Vaupel
Losing pitcher: Jake Sorbera
