CENTRE COUNTY — Howard, Port Matilda and Lewistown all take CCBL wins.
The Hawks moved to 4-1 for the season, Port Matilda won its second game with a 4-3 decision over Milesburg, and Lewistown kept rolling with a big win over Spring Creek.
Here’s a closer look:
HOWARD 4, BLANCHARD 3 (8 INNINGS)
Howard’s Dan Cole hit an RBI fielder’s choice in the top of the eighth inning at home against Blanchard on Thursday, June 5, and the Hawks made the run stand up in a 4-3 CCBL victory.
With a runner placed on second base to start the eighth inning, the first two Howard hitters were hit by pitches, loading the bases.
Cole came up and hit a ground ball to the right side, scoring K. Burns and giving the Hawks a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the inning.
With winning pitcher Tyler Serb on the mound and a runner placed on second base, Blanchard began the inning with a sacrifice bunt that placed the tying run on third base.
But Serb, who went all eight innings in a complete-game win, got a double-play when left fielder Gavin Burns caught a fly ball and then threw out Tayten Yoder trying to tag up and tie the game.
The throw dramatically gave the Hawks their fourth win of the season, 4-3, against just one loss.
Howard came into the seventh inning down 3-1, but a home run by Parker Quick and then an RBI single by Brayden Dubbs tied the game at 3-3 and set up the exciting eighth inning.
Dubbs, Cole, Burns and Quick each had RBIs for Howard, while Serb went eight innings and gave up three runs on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
For Blanchard, Yoder had two hits, including a home run, and an RBI while Connor Fulz and Talon Falls each had a hit and an RBI.
PORT MATILDA 4, MILESBURG 3
Port Matilda’s Diggy Powers singled to right field in the top of the sixth inning and drove in the winning run in the Woodpeckers’ 4-3 victory over Milesburg on Thursday, June 5, at Milesburg.
Powers’ hit capped a three-run rally that wiped out a 3-1 Milesburg lead and gave Port Matilda its second win of the season.
After the Woodpeckers took a first-inning, 1-0 lead, the Iron Kings surged ahead with a run in the bottom of the third inning and two more in the bottom of the fifth.
Kevin Probst had the big hit in the inning with a one-out double that scored Gunner Fravel with the go-ahead run.
The lead did not last, however, as the Woodpeckers sent eight batters to the plate in the sixth and took the lead for good.
On the mound for Port Matilda, Nick Belinc took the win in relief with three perfect innings as Jake Hall and J. Bierly led the offense with two hits each. Belinc also added two RBIs.
The Iron Kings got their three runs on eight hits and three walks.
LEWISTOWN FOXPRO 18, SPRING CREEK 2
The Lewistown FoxPro shot out to a 5-1 lead after the first inning at Spring Creek on Thursday, June 5, and then they added nine more in the third inning on the way to an 18-2, five-inning win over Spring Creek.
The Foxpro knocked out 10 hits, including two home runs, and took advantage of 11 walks in what was their biggest win of the season.
After taking the 14-2 lead after three innings, Lewistown ended the game with four runs in the fifth that made the score 18-2. Milesburg was then held without a run in the bottom of the inning to end the game.
OTHER SCORES:
Spike Island 8, Spring Mills 3
- The Pirates are still unbeaten and are now 5-0.
Blanchard 15, Baseball U 4
- The Bees got 16 hits and scored nine runs in the top of the fifth inning to take the five-inning win.
Spike Island 7, Spring Creek 2
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
June 12
- Milesburg at Blanchard
- Howard at Baseball U
- Lewistown at Port Matilda
June 13
- Blanchard at Spring Creek
June 15
- Blanchard at Lewistown
- Spike Island at Howard
- Spring Creek at Milesburg
- Spring Mills at Port Matilda
STANDINGS:
- Spike Island (5-0)
- Blanchard (4-1)
- Howard (4-1)
- Lewistown (3-1)
- Port Matilda (2-1-1)
- Spring Mills (1-4)
- Spring Creek (1-5)
- Milesburg (0-5)
