PHILIPSBURG — Nothing is more exciting in sports than when the home team rallies back from the absolute brink of defeat to pull out an overtime win in a must-win game.
Nothing is more exciting in sports than when the home team rallies back from the absolute brink of defeat to pull out an overtime win in a must-win game.
That’s what happened in Philipsburg-Osceola’s 10-inning, 4-3 win over Chestnut Ridge in the District 6, AA first round game at Philipsburg on May 19.
The Mounties went into the seventh inning against the Lions without a run and with only three hits to their credit, but a clutch double by P-O pitcher Josh Earnest scored Logan Williamson with the tying run. Earnest’s hit sent the game into extra innings and saved P-O’s season.
Chestnut Ridge responded by putting the Mounties into still deeper jeopardy in the eighth when Brodie Harbaugh lined a two-out, two-run single to put the Lions ahead 3-1.
This time, P-O waited even longer to respond. The Mounties scratched together a threat after a hit and an error put two runners on base with two outs for Williamson. Williamson took the count to his last strike before lining a double into left field that scored Brandon Kephart and Caleb Belinda, barely, with the tying runs and again saved P-O from elimination.
Nothing happened in the ninth, and nothing happened in 10th until P-O rallied once more with two outs.
Belinda singled, Williamson reached on another costly CR error, and Earnest was intentionally walked to bring up Isaac Knepp with the bases loaded. Knepp then joined the other clutch hitters for P-O when he sliced a seeing-eye ground ball just out of the reach of Chestnut Ridge second baseman John Kohler and into right field.
Belinda crossed the plate with the winning run, and the Mounties had their most improbable victory of the season at just the right time.
“Looking for a fastball,” Knepp said about his game-winning hit, “because, you know, we are a fastball hitting team, but we’ll hit the curveball if we need to. Just put the bat on it.”
As the innings ticked off in this game, it increasingly began to look like Dull would make CR’s unearned run in the third inning stand up as the game winner. John Deaner scored that run after doubling to lead off the inning — CR’s first hit — moving to third on a wild pitch, and then scoring on a pickoff attempt error. That accounted for the only run in the game until the bottom of the seventh.
P-O did have chances against Dull. The Mounties put runners on base in every inning, including runners in scoring position in the second, third and fifth. Each time, though, Dull escaped unharmed, racking up 11 strikeouts along the way.
In the seventh, playing the percentages, Chestnut Ridge put in closer Matt Monko to sew up the game. But with one out, Williamson walked, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then tied the game on Earnest’s big double.
“We kept searching for someone to come up with a big hit,” Philipsburg coach Doug Sankey said. “Josh (Earnest) was pitching a phenomenal game, and it was a shame we were losing 1-0. We really hadn’t done a whole lot offensively. Even Derek (Shaw) and Isaac (Knepp) and guys at the top of the order were struggling to get on. I kept thinking we were going to get one, but they had two really good pitchers. It was a battle.”
After Philipsburg got its one, Chestnut Ridge put together its best inning of the game. Deaner singled, John Kohler singled, Dull was hit by a pitch, and then Harbaugh plated two runs with a single into left field. It could have been worse for the Mounties except for a pickoff at first base and two fielder’s-choice outs, but two runs was the biggest lead for either team in the game.
And then, with runners on first and third and two outs in the bottom of the inning, Williamson struck a two-strike gapper that tied the game once again.
“Well, I was just trying to do anything that would benefit our team,” Williamson said, “and I was down to the last strike. Every at bat, especially in games like this, you have to fight to the last strike and that’s exactly what I was doing. Trying to put the bat on the ball. I was basically swinging at anything around the strike zone.”
Neither team threatened in the ninth, but in the 10th it was Knepp’s turn to take the stage for the Mounties. Before he came through with his game-winning hit, Knepp also relieved Earnest on the mound. He gave up a harmless, two-out single before getting Harbaugh to ground out for the third out, and then waited as his teammates loaded the bases for him to come to the plate.
“I knew I had a big performance before me with (Earnest), Knepp said about his relief work, “but I knew I had to come in and keep doing what we were doing.”
The win advances the Mounties into the quarterfinals against No. 2 seed Richland, with the semifinals scheduled for tonight. The site and time for the final is yet to be determined.
