CLARION, Pa. (D9Sports) — It’s an all-District 9 quarterfinal game when Clarion meets Elk County Catholic in the PIAA Class 1A bracket at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Showers Field in DuBois.
(Photo: Clarion’s Sterling Conner take a swing during the Bobcats PIAA first-round win over Berlin Brothersvalley Monday in DuBois. Photo by Christie Datko)
“It’s awesome for District 9,” Clarion manager Rob Jewett said. “It shows we have had really good baseball this year.”
The District 9 runner-up Bobcats (19-3) and D9 third-place finisher Elk County Catholic (19-5) were on opposite ends of the bracket during the D9 tournament and could have met for the District 9 title if ECC hadn’t fallen 3-1 to Oswayo Valley in the semifinals.
“I’ve been following them the best I can,” Jewett said. “They are a well-coached team, and I know they are going to bring a good team.”
Clarion has been a squad built around pitching and defense all season long, and the Bobcats sport a 1.26 team ERA and a .948 team fielding percentage while committing just 32 errors on the year.
The pitching staff will be tested in a couple of ways against an ECC team that is hitting .310 as a group.
The No. 1 test will be overcoming fatigue.
Clarion has a full stable of pitchers ready to throw against the Crusaders, but they all have thrown some innings in the past week.
Ace Reed Anthony (10-1, 0.49 ERA) threw 55 pitches in four innings of relief to get the win in a 4-3 victory over Berlin Brothersvalley in the opening round Monday after tossing 100 pitches in 7 ⅓ innings June 1 in a 4-1, eight-inning loss to Oswayo Valley in the D9 title game.
Reed’s twin brother, Ryan Anthony (3-0, 1.28 ERA), tossed 23 pitches in 1 ⅓ innings of relief Monday, while Sterling Conner (1-0, 0.89 ERA), Monday’s starter, needed 41 pitches to go 1 ⅔ innings.
“We may be a little bit fatigued,” Jewett admitted. “I am going to have a pretty big hooks because we are pretty deep in arms. We need to kind of go out, throw strikes and trust our defense. Next guy up, that is the mentality we have to have from here on out.”
Despite having some pitchers who have seen a lot of action on the mound recently, Clarion might be in better shape on the mound that Elk County Catholic, which has one fewer days rest than the Bobcats — the Crusaders 7-4 win over WPIAL champion Jeannette was postponed from Monday to Tuesday — and won’t have the services of ace and workhorse Brad Dippold (8-1, 1.95 ERA), who threw 81 pitches Tuesday.
Expect the Crusaders, who were the PIAA runners-up in 2014, to go with Alec Wehler (2-3, 2.14 ERA) or Brady Schneider (2-0, 2.92 ERA) against Clarion with Gabe Kraus (2-0, 4.31 ERA) also possibly available.
Wehler got the save against Jeannette pitching a scoreless inning of relief needing just 14 pitches to do so. He won the D9/10 consolation game against Jamestown throwing three shutout innings. But Wehler has gone more than just twice this season, although both times he was solid. He went five shutout innings in an 8-6 win over DuBois Central Catholic April 19 allowing three hits and two walks, and then he pitched six innings allowing three unearned runs on three hits and three walks in a 6-3 victory over Curwensville May 8.
Schneider last pitched in the semifinal loss to Oswayo Valley walking the only two batters he faced. His last long outing was a five-inning appearance May 15 vs. Bradford when he allowed three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four.
Kraus pitched two innings of relief against Jeannette Tuesday throwing 42 pitches. He has been used mainly in relief this season.
“I expect them to have some arms and to be competitive,” Jewett said. “I’m excited to see them.”
No matter who ECC throws, Clarion will need to continue to do what it has done all season offensively.
“We need to continue to put the ball in play,” Jewett said. “I really like how the guys have been hitting the ball. They haven’t been very lucky on some lately, but we are squaring the ball up good. We like to put pressure on the defense.”
Jewett said when Clarion gets on, it will run the bases, bunt, basically, do whatever it takes to score runs.
“We obviously need clutch hits here and there, and we got some Monday,” Jewett said. “Hopefully, that carries over. That will be a key.”
Jewett said the entire season has been motivation for his team, one that many people didn’t expect to win the KSAC let alone play for the District 9 title or have a chance to go the PIAA semifinals.
“A lot of people wrote them off as being too small or not talented enough,” Jewett said. “Now they are seeing they can compete with all sorts of players.”
It is also a chance for Clarion to make history. No Bobcats team has ever been past the PIAA quarterfinals — the 2009 team was the only other one to win a PIAA playoff game.
“They know what is at stake,” Jewett said. “They can make their own footprints instead of following others. If we can win, we will have made something new. I’m kind of excited about it.”
The winner moves into the PIAA semifinals against the winner of the game between District 9 champion Oswayo Valley and WPIAL runner-up Greensburg Central Catholic which will be played just before the ECC/Clarion game at 4 p.m. at Showers Field. A win by Clarion and Oswayo Valley would set up a rematch of the District 9 title game won by Oswayo Valley, 4-1, in eight innings.
