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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – For the first time in program history, the Clarion Bobcats are PIAA baseball champions.

Behind another dominant pitching effort from Devon Lauer and Derek Smail, the Bobcats beat DuBois Central Catholic in the all-D9 Class 1A final, 4-1.

Lauer went four shutout innings, allowing five hits and striking out five before giving way to Smail, who allowed just one run in three innings.

Both pitchers escaped jams, with Lauer stranding the bases loaded after one out in the fourth, striking out Cartar Kosko, who got ahead in the count 3-0, and then striking out Andrew Green.

DCC had runners on first and third in the fifth after Brayden Fox’s RBI triple, but Smail got a pop out and a strikeout to end the threat.

Clarion plated single runs in both the first and second inning, with Derek Smail’s RBI groundout driving in Dawson Smail, who led off the bottom of the first with a single.

In the second, Daunte Girvan’s sacrifice fly brought in Tanner Miller, who led off the inning with a single.

The Bobcats got to Fox for two runs in the fifth to extend the lead, as Girvan walked and Hayden Weber and Dawson Smail followed with back-to-back RBI singles.

Much more on the Bobcats’ historic win to follow.