It was a successful week for local high school baseball teams despite two days of postponements due to bad weather.
Bellefonte kept its winning streak going, BEA prevailed in a pitcher’s duel over Hollidaysburg, St. Joseph’s romped, State College edged rival Altoona, and Philipsburg-Osceola and Penns Valley combined for 27 runs in a wild Mountain League showdown.
Here is a look at each team:
BELLEFONTE STREAK MOVES TO 8
Bellefonte broke open a close game against rival Clearfield on April 14 with a six-run sixth inning that propelled the Raiders to a 12-5 victory over the Bison in Clearfield.
The Raiders went into the inning nursing a slim 5-3 lead but hits by Peyton Vancas, Braedyn Kormanic, Derek Fravel, Alex Ebeling and Dominic Capperella, coupled with two Bison errors, resulted in six runs and a commanding 11-3 lead.
The Bison did add a run in both their sixth and seventh innings, but they weren’t nearly enough and Bellefonte had its eighth win of the year against just one loss.
Ebeling led the Raider offense with three hits and an RBI, and Capperella had a double and a home run.
Kormanic, Fravel and Vancas each had two hits.
On the mound, Vancas pitched 5.2 innings and gave up four runs, with Trevor Johnson coming in and finishing in relief.
The Raiders are now 8-1 overall for the season with an away game coming up at Bald Eagle Area on April 22 followed by a home game against Penns Valley on April 25.
BEA EDGES HOLLIDAYSBURG
Bald Eagle Area pitcher Wyatt Coakley and Hollidaysburg’s Landon Perry each pitched through four scoreless innings on April 14 in Wingate before BEA took a one-run lead on a Kahale Burns home run.
That was the only scoring in the game until Hollidaysburg pushed across a run in the top of the seventh to force extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, Carson Nagle, who had come in in relief of Coakley, set Hollidaysburg down in order, setting up a rally that would give the Eagles their fourth win of the season.
That rally started with a walk to pinch hitter Justin Bisel, and he was moved to second base with a sacrifice bunt by Burns. Gavlock then walked. That was followed with a single by Hayden Vaughn to load the bases. Mc-Gwire Heverly was up next, and the senior ended the game with a single to left field against a drawn-in Hollidaysburg infield.
The hit gave Nagle his first varsity victory and BEA its third Mountain League victory and fourth win overall.
Next on the schedule for BEA will be a home game against 8-1 Bellefonte on April 22 followed by an away game at Southern Huntingdon on April 23 and a home game against Clearfield on April 25.
P-O 16, PENNS VALLEY 11
A combined 24 hits, 10 walks, and 10 errors is a recipe for a very high-scoring baseball game, and that’s exactly what happened in Spring Mills between Penns Valley and Philipsburg-Osceola on April 14.
The Mounties were able to prevail in the game with two big innings — a five-run third and then a nine-run fifth that paved the way to a 16-11 win over the Rams.
The win was P-O’s third of the season against two losses, while Penns Valley fell to 0-5-1.
The game began quickly with the Rams taking a 3-0 lead after two innings. The Mounties, on the strength of RBI doubles by Nick Coudriet and Colby Hahn, came right back with five runs in the top of the third to take a 5-3 lead.
PV then scored five runs in the next two innings (three unearned) to go ahead 8-5, only to see that lead evaporate after the nine-run P-O fifth.
In that inning, five walks, a hit batter, an RBI double by Hahn, and RBI hits by Jamey Massung, Jake DeSimone and Parker White added up to nine runs and a 14-8 P-O lead.
PV came back with three in its half of the inning to pull within 14-11, but Coudriet took the mound in relief and was able to retire the Rams without further damage.
The P-O win put the Mounties back on track after an 11-1 Mountain League loss to Central on April 13.
Central scored five runs in the first three innings and then ended the game with six runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Next up for the Mounties will be a home game against Clearfield on April 22, followed by an away contest at Tyrone on April
25.
Penns Valley is still winless on the season at 0-5-1 but will have upcoming chances to break through against Huntingdon on April 22 at home and then Clearfield at home on April 23.
STATE COLLEGE DOWNS ALTOONA IN EXTRAS
The State College Little Lions fell behind Altoona early in their Mid-Penn Conference game on April 14 in Altoona, but the Lions rallied to tie the game in regulation and then won, 9-7, with three big runs in the top of the eighth.
Altoona took a 5-1 lead after the fourth inning, but State College scored a run in the fifth and then four more in the sixth to briefly take a 6-5 lead. The Mountain Lions came back and scored a run in the bottom of the sixth that eventually sent the game into extra innings.
State College went on to score a decisive three runs in the eighth to take its third win of the season against four losses.
SC was led by Evan Summerson, Cooper Ryan, Charlie Bakken, and Jack Messina, who all had two hits in the game while Bakken, TJ Yoder, and Adam Cooper each had two RBIs.
In all, the Lions had 11 hits in the game, and Messina took the win in relief on the mound with two inning pitched, two hits and one run.
The Little Lions now have Central Dauphin in Harrisburg on April 21, Mifflin County at home on April 26, and Red Land in Lewisberry on April 28.
SJCA TAKES WINS OVER NORTHERN CAMBRIA
St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy and Northern Cambria were tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning when Thomas Delahoy’s walk-off single gave the WolfPack a tense, 3-2, victory in Boalsburg on April 13.
Delahoy came to bat after Evan Roach singled to open the inning and then advanced to second base on a wild pitch.
Delahoy didn’t let his chance pass as he struck the next pitch cleanly to center field, scoring Roach and giving the WolfPack its second win of the season.
In all, SJCA had eight hits, with Roach and Delahoy each getting two, while Chris Forstmeier took the win on the mound in relief of Roach.
The next night was a bit easier for St. Joesph’s as it took just three innings to swamp Sugar Valley 18-0 on April 14.
The Wolfpack scored 6 runs in the first inning and then all but wrapped up the game with another 12 in the second inning.
Sugar Valley didn’t get a hit in its three at bats, and the game was called under the mercy rule after the third inning.
SJCA had 13 hits — three each by Spencer Gigante and Roach — in just two at bats as the team won its third game of the season against two losses and a tie.
The WolfPack will next see Jersey Shore at home on April 25 followed by another home game against East Juniata on April 27.
