DUBOIS, Pa. – Scoring seven runs in the first inning despite just two hits, Punxsutawney rolled to a 13-2, five-inning victory over DuBois Central Catholic at Stern Field in DuBois.
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The Chucks took advantage of five walks, a hit batter, and three DCC errors in the first inning to send the defending PIAA Class 1A champions to their third straight loss to start the season.
It is the first three-game losing skid in two years for the Cardinals and the first time they lost a Mercy Rule game since May 19, 2021, when Elk County Catholic beat them 12-2 in five innings.
While Punxsutawney’s offense was scoring early and often – the Chucks added five more runs in the second inning – sophomore Coy Martino was shutting down the DCC bats.
The sophomore righty only pitched three innings but he recorded eight of his nine outs via the strikeout mixing devastating breaking pitches with a strong fastball.
In his three innings, he gave up two hits and walked four.
Martino was named the Allegheny Grille of Foxburg Player of the Game and talked about the win.
Offensively, Punxsutawney was led by Josh Tyger, Zach Dinger, and Nevin Day, who each had two hits.
Tyger, who got the first-inning rally started with a double off the leftfield fence, was 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored, and an RBI, while Dinger, who had a two-run double in the second inning, was 2-for-3 with a run scored and three RBIs. Day went 2-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored, and an RBI.
Zeke Bennett also drove in a pair of runs and scored twice while going 1-for-2 with a walk, and Justin Miller had an RBI and scored twice while being hit by a pair of pitches.
Aiden Snowberger was 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI for DCC, while Brayden Fox walked three times.
Carter Hickman took the loss going ⅓ of an inning allowing six runs, three earned, on a hit, four walks, and a hit batter. Hickman, who went on to play both first and second base in the game, appeared to be favoring a finger on his throwing hand when he was removed in the first inning.
Kaden Brezinski relieved and lasted one inning giving up five runs, four earned, on a walk, and a hit batter. Carter Himes stabilized things for the DCC pitching staff going 3 ⅔ innings allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out two.
Miller and Bennett each threw an inning of relief for Punxsutawney with Miller giving up two earned runs on a hit and three walks while striking out one and Bennett walking one and striking out two.
OTTO-ELDRED 3, KANE 1
ELDRED, Pa. – Cal Minich and Max Spalin combined on a three-hitter to lead Otto-Eldred to a season-opening 3-1 win over Kane.
Minich started and went six innings to get the win. He gave up one earned run on three hits while striking out three.
Splain got the save striking out the side on 14 pitches in the seventh.
The Terrors scored all their runs in the first two innings including two in the first on back-to-back two-out singles by Minich and Austin Cousins.
Jared Obenrader was 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI for Otto-Eldred.
Isiah Smith was 2-for-2 for Kane.
Brock Wensel took the loss going two innings allowing three earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four.
KARNS CITY 8, CLARION-LIMESTONE 2
STRATTANVILLE, Pa. – Mallick Metcalfe’s arm and Jacob Jones’ bat helped Karns City pick up an 8-2 road win over Clarion-Limestone.
Metcalfe went 6 ⅔ innings before hitting the 100-pitch limit allowing two runs, one earned, on eight hits, and three walks while striking out five/
Jones, who got the final out on a strikeout, was 2-for-3 with a home run, two walks, a run scored, and three RBIs.
Braden Grossman also drove in a pair of runs for the Gremlins with Wyatt Fleming and Mason Sherwin scoring a pair of runs each. Troy Nagel was also 1-for-1 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI.
Jordan Hesdon was 3-for-3 with a run scored for C-L.
Logan Lutz took the loss going 3 ⅔ innings allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits and three walks while striking out four. Jack Craig gave up three runs, one on three walks in a ⅓ of an inning.
ST. MARYS 8, ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 2
ST. MARYS, Pa. – Vinny Lenze went 2-for-4 with three RBIs to help visiting St. Marys beat Elk County Catholic, 8-2, at Berwind Park in St. Marys.
Charlie Coudriet was also 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored for the Dutch, while Carter Price and Eli Rippey also had a pair of hits with Price going 2-for-4 and Rippey 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Coudriet and Lucas Bauer combined to shut down the ECC bats allowing just three hits.
Coudriert got the win going four innings allowing two earned runs on three hits, two walks, and a hit batter while striking out five.
Bauer picked up the save going three innings of hitless ball. He struck out seven.
Colby Nussbaum had a pair of RBIs for ECC going 1-for-3.
Joe Tettis took the loss allowing six earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four in three innings of work.
REDBANK VALLEY 2, BROOKVILLE 1
HAWTHORNE, Pa. – Jaxon Huffman and Tate Minich combined to limit Brookville to three hits, as Redbank Valley beat the visiting Raiders, 2-1.
Huffman went five innings to get the win allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out five. Minich got the save going two hitless innings striking out two.
The Bulldogs broke a one-all tie in the bottom of the fifth on an infield single by Tyler Hetrick.
Minich had a double and was 1-for-2 with a walk.
Carson Weaver took the loss going 5 ⅓ innings allowing two unearned runs on three hits and five walks while striking out nine. Weaver was also 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
JOHNSONBURG 8, BROCKWAY 3
JOHNSONBURG, Pa. – Kaden Dennis and Derek Beimel each drove in a pair of runs to help Johnsonburg to an 8-3 win over visiting Brockway.
Dennis was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored with Beimel going 1-for-3.
The Zimmermans also had strong games for the Rams with Luke Zimmerman going 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored with Aiden Zimmerman going 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Aiden Zimmerman got the win going 3 ⅔ inning in relief allowing a hit and a walk while striking out seven.
Eric Panabianco started and went 3 ⅓ innings allowing three earned runs on a hit, five walks, and a hit batter while striking out two.
Raiden Craft was 2-for-2 with an RBI for Brockway.
Ezra Swanson took the loss going four innings allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits, a walk, and a hit batter while striking out two.
Andrew Brubaker pitched two innings for Brockway giving up four runs, two earned on four hits and four walks while striking out one.
COUDERSPORT 19, SMETHPORT 9, 6 INNINGS
COUDERSPORT, Pa. – Mason Roessner and Mitch Taylor combined to drive in seven runs to lift Coudersport to a 19-9, six-inning win over visiting Smethport.
Roessner was 2-for-5 with a walk, two runs scored, and four RBIs, while Taylor was 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored, and three RBIs.
LT Myers also drove in two runs while walking twice and scoring a run for the Falcons, while Viggo Brown scored four times while going 1-for-2 with a double, an RBI, and three walks.
Wyatt Daisley added three runs scored while going 1-for-4 with two walks, Jacob Hooftallen was 2-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored, and an RBI, and Gavyn Ayers was 1-for-2 with triple, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored.
Brentton McDowell drove in four runs for Smethport going 2-for-3 with a walk, while Kegeen Watson also had a pair of RBIs and a run scored while walking twice, and Owen Rounsville walked twice and scored twice.
Taylor, the second of four Coudersport pitchers, got the win going two innings of scoreless baseball allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one.
Owen Deutschlander started and went two innings allowing four unearned runs on a hit, six walks, and a hit batter while striking out four.
LT Myers allowed five runs, four earned, on a hit, four walks, and two hit batters in a ⅓ of an inning, while Ayers pitched 1 ⅔ innings striking out four.
Watson took the loss in relief of McDowell allowing 10 runs, three earned, on six hits, a hit batter, and a walk in two innings of work. He struck out one.
McDowell pitched an inning allowing three runs on seven walks and a hit batter while striking out two.
A nine-run third and a six-run fourth were the keys to the victory for Coudersport.
TYRONE 4, CLEARFIELD 3
TYRONE, Pa. – A four-run first inning was all homestanding Tyrone needed to beat Clearfield, 4-3.
A two-run double by Zac Legars and a two-run single by Landon Hamer accounted for the four Eagle runs against Hunter Rumskey.
Clearfield got three runs back in the fifth on Will Domico’s sac fly, a Moren Billotte single, and a Hayvin Bumbarger bases-loaded walk, but the Bison stranded the bases loaded in the inning and then couldn’t capitalize on a two-out double by Billotte in the seventh.
Billotte went 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead Clearfield.
Rumsky took the loss going five innings allowing four earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out eight. Craig Mays pitched a scoreless sixth striking out one.
Hamer got the win going 4 ⅓ innings allowing three earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out five. Caiden Bonsell got the save going 2 ⅔ innings giving up two hits and two walks while striking out five.
