CENTRE COUNTY — The Spike Island Pirates and the Blanchard Bees both took their First Round Centre County Baseball League Series in two-game sweeps, while the Lewistown FoxPro and the Spring Mills Braves are tied 1-1.
With No. 1 seed Howard waiting in the wings, the league will begin the Semifinals on Thursday, July 17, with the Hawks matched with the winner of the FoxPro vs Braves series and the Pirates taking on the Bees.
Here’s a brief look at where everybody stands:
SPIKE ISLAND UPENDS MILESBURG 14-2 AND ADVANCES TO THE CCBL SEMIFINALS
The Pirates, after rallying on July 10 to take a close 4-0 in Game 1 against the Iron Kings, finished the three-game series on Sunday, July 13, with a 14-2 victory in Milesburg.
Spike Island ripped 16 hits, scored in every inning and closed out the five-inning victory with a five-run rally in the top of the fifth inning.
Ahead 9-1 heading into the fifth inning, the Pirates got a home run from Denny Prestash, a triple from Parker White and a big, two-run, two-out single by winning pitcher Zac Tiracorda that capped the rally.
Now ahead 14-1, Tiracorda did give up a run in the bottom of the sixth, but he proceeded to get the final outs on two grounders and a pop out.
Ryan Kephart and Nate Gustkey led the charge for the Pirates.
Kephart went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored and Gustkey had three hits, including a home run and two RBIs.
Jake DeSimone chipped in with two hits and three RBIs.
On the mound, Tiracorda threw five innings and gave up two runs on five hits with one strikeout and no walks.
The Spike Island outburst came on the heels of a taut, 4-0 victory over the Iron Kings on Thursday, July 10, in Philipsburg.
Tiracorda was instrumental again in this game with a two-out, fourth-inning RBI double that knocked in the last two runs of a decisive three-run Pirate rally.
After DeSimone made the score 2-0 with an RBI single that scored Jeremy Whitehead, Tiracorda came up and knocked in Sam McDonald and DeSimone with runs No. 3 and 4.
Pitcher Ryan Whitehead made the runs stand up with a complete-game, five-hitter with four strikeouts and no walks.
The Iron Kings threatened early with two runners on in the first inning, but a sharp double play by Kephart and DeSimone ended the threat.
Then in the top of the sixth, Milesburg again put two runners on with two outs, but Whitehead forced a ground-ball out to end that inning.
The win was the 16th of the season for Spike Island and it qualified the Pirates for the Semifinals, which will begin in Philipsburg on Thursday, July 17, against No. 3 seed Blanchard.
It will be a five-game series matching up last season’s finalists, and both teams will be highly motivated for a shot at the Finals.
BLANCHARD SURVIVES A SLUGFEST AT SPRING CREEK TO ADVANCE TO THE CCBL SEMIFINALS
The Blanchard Bees and Spring Creek Shockers both brought their bats to their First Round CCBL Playoff game at Spring Creek on Sunday afternoon.
With the Bees ahead in the series 1-0 after a 10-3 win on Thursday, July 10, the Shockers brought it all and then some to a must-win Game 2 with a 14-run, 15-hit attack.
But Blachard scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning and came away with a 16-14 victory and a trip to the Semifinals.
The two teams combined in the game for 30 runs and 36 hits that included 12 for extra bases and two home runs.
But the Shockers scored eight runs in the bottom of the third inning to take an 11-6 lead and then added two more in the next inning to make it 13-6.
Blanchard, however, did not blink and began a comeback with four runs in the top of the fifth to make the score 13-10.
Another run in the sixth and the five-run outburst in the seventh sewed up the win for the Bees.
Blanchard will now take on Spike Island in the CCBL Semifinals beginning in Philipsburg on Thursday, July 17. It will be a five-game series with the winning advancing to the league finals.
