MEADVILLE, Pa. — The Clarion 11-years old All-Star team is headed to the state championship after an 8-6 win over DuBois Sunday afternoon that claimed the Section 1 title at Meadville.
(Photo courtesy of Diane Lutz)
It’s the second consecutive season this group of players has made the Little League state tournament, as they qualified for the 10-years old-and-under bracket last year.
On Sunday, Clarion scored six of its eight runs in the final three innings and needed almost all of them after DuBois staged a comeback in the bottom of the sixth scoring six times and having the bases loaded with one out when Devon Lauer got a fly ball for the second out which turned into a game-ending, championship-clinching double play when the DuBois runner tested and lost to the arm of left fielder Logan Lutz.
Logan Lutz and Bryce Brinkley celebrate after Lutz’s throw to home ended the game and won the Section 1 title for Clarion. Photo courtesy of Diane Lutz
Up until the harrowing bottom of the sixth, Clarion was in full control of the game taking an early 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first and then adding on late scoring one in the fourth, two in the fifth and three in the sixth to open up the 8-0 lead.
Jase Ferguson and Lauer both had a pair of RBIs in the game for Clarion with Ferguson belting a two-run home run in the top of the sixth that ended up providing the two winning runs.
Lauer started the scoring for Clarion with a two-run triple in the first that plated Bryce Brinkley and Dawson Smail with one out. Brinkley led off the game with a single, and Smail followed with a walk.
Clarion added to its lead in the fourth when Lutz scored on a Brinkley one-out infield single. Lutz had singled with one out and moved to second when Tanner Miller walked and two third on a wild pitch.
Two more Clarion runs came in the fifth thanks to a Nick Aaron triple that scored Brinkley and Ferguson, who had back-to-back singles leading off the inning.
Then in the sixth, with one out, Tommy Smith singled with Lauer following with a single that moved Smith to third. Brayden Murray then hit a sacrifice fly to right to make it 6-0, and Ferguson followed with a home run to center.
Smith, who started and got the win, went back out in the sixth trying for the complete game but got into trouble when the first six DuBois batters of the inning reached including four hits, a walk and a hit batter making it an 8-3 game.
Murray relieved and promptly allowed a two-run single making it 8-5 before getting an out. He walked the next two batters, however, to force home another run making it 8-6.
That is when Lauer came in and induced the fly ball to Lutz in left. Lutz then ended the game with a cannon of a throw from his left arm to the plate.
Logan Lutz showing off his arm earlier in the Section 1 title game. That left arm ended the contest in the sixth, Photo courtesy of Diane Lutz
A loss wouldn’t have ended Clarion’s season, as the team was in the winner’s bracket. But it would have necessitated a winner-take-all game Monday in Meadville.
Photo courtesy of Diane Lutz
Instead, Clarion is now back in action starting July 28 at the state tournament being hosted by the Lehigh Little League in Bethlehem, Pa.
Clarion will play the first game July 28 against the Section 6 winner. A win would push Clarion to a winner’s bracket game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday while a loss would force the team into the loser’s bracket game at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The tournament could run through Aug. 3 with the first championship game for the winner’s bracket winner taking place a 6 p.m. Aug. 2 and the winner-take-all game if the loser’s bracket champion wins Aug. 2 being at 6 p.m. Aug. 3. The winner’s bracket final is at 6 p.m. July 31 with the loser’s bracket final at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 1. A complete bracket can be found here.
