Bellwood-Antis and Moshannon Valley were locked in a here-we-come-no-you-don’t struggle, at Bellwood’s Stadium Drive Field on Wednesday, in which neither team wanted to leave the field with a loss. Through eight innings, the two schools went toe-to-toe with no prisoners taken and none given. When the dust had finally cleared Nathan Pataky and his Mo Valley teammates got on the bus with a 13-11 extra-inning victory, but not before the two teams had combined for 24 runs, 26 hits and five errors. Pataky slkugged two home runs and a sac fly to drive home five runs, including the game winner in the top of the eighth inning.
Every time one of the pugilists grabbed a lead, the other team would storm back to make it a ballgame.
Moshannon Valley took a 3-0 lead before the Blue Devils even had a chance to bat. Pete Dombrosky walked and Brandon Murarik was hit by a pitch, before Pataky unloaded a three-run home run to clear the bases off B-A starter Justin Miller.
Miller’s teammates soon got him even with three tallies of their own in the bottom of the first.
Nate Gray led off with a single up the middle. Justin Manning singled and then the Blue Devils pulled off a double steal to put runners at second and third. With one out, Earnie Kelley drilled a triple to score both Gray and Manning. With two out, Chad Coho poked a clutch base hit to center to score Kelley to tie the score.
The Knights went back in front with two scores in the third inning. After Dombrosky walked for the second time, Murarik doubled him to third. Pataky scored Dombrosky with a sacrifice fly to Josh Kleinfelter in left and following a walk, starting pitcher Brent Baughman brought Murarik home with another sac fly.
Brandon Beech doubled with one gone in the bottom of the fourth for Bellwood-Antis and Blaze Winterstein scored him with a single down the left field line.
The Blue Devils scored a four-spot in the fifth to take the lead for the first time.
Manning opened the frame with a single, and Kleinfelter smacked a double to send him to third. Kelley singled to left to score Manning and Kleinfelter scored on an error by the left fielder. L. J. Seidel singled and both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch, with Kelley scoring and Seidel advancing to third base. Coho got Seidel home with a sacrifice fly for a 8-5 B-A lead.
This time, it was Moshannon Valley coming from behind to knot the score, in the top of the sixth.
Mo Valley combined a walk, Bellwood-Antis error and three singles to jump into an 8-8 draw. Tim Hare walked with the bases full to drive in one run, Dombrosky singled one home and Murarik ht into an RBI fielder’s choice for the third run of the at-bat.
Bellwood-Antis retook the lead in the home half of the inning on back-to-back doubles by Manning and Kleinfelter.
The Knights were not to be denied however, regaining the lead with three runs in the sixth. A double by catcher Nate Weld scored one run and two more scored on a B-A error.
Brian Dougherty, the third of four Bellwood-Antis pitchers, and the only hurler to stop the Knights, retired the only batter he faced to get the Blue Devils out of the inning.
Down to their final out in the last of the seventh, Winterstein singled and Justin Miller belted a two-run home run to center that tied the game 11-11 and sent the contyest to extra innings.
In the eight inning, it was Pataky to the rescue for the Knights, opening the inning with a massive clout that cleared the high fence in left center to give Mo Valley a 12-11 advantage. Weld’s second double in two innings added an insurance run.
Joel Miles came on in relief for Mo Valley in the bottom of the eighth to pick up a save. Miles walked Kleinfelter to give the Blue Devils a runner with one out, but retired the next two batters on a strikeout and fly out to secure the win.
“We battled, battled hard today,” said Bellwood-Antis coach Steve Conlon. “We just didn’t get the pitching when we needed it. When you give up 13 runs in a game, with errors and walk too many batters, it’s hard to win. We battled hard, 11 runs should be enough to win any game.”
Blue Devil Notes: Josh Kleinfelter has been as hot as a volcano, batting .526 in his last six games, with three homers, five doubles, seven runs scored and eight RBI….During that same six-game period, Earnie Kelley has batted .476 with nine RBI, at least one in six straight games….B-A had just one homer in their first seven games, but has connected for five round-trippers in their last five games….Bellwood-Antis (2-10) will travel to Penns Valley on Friday for a rematch. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. B-A won the first game, at Bellwood, 3-1 on April 17, for their first win of the season on the field, but was forced to forfeit the victory, later, because the Blue Devils used an academically ineligible player….That B-A/Penns Valley game took two weeks to complete. The game was scheduled for April 3, but was suspended after Penns Valley batted in the top of the first because of lightning and rain. Justin Miller gave up just one hit over the last six innings to get the win for the Blue Devils.
Moshannon Valley 13 Bellwood-Antis 11, 8 inn.
Moshannon Valley – Dombrosky, 2b, 3-2-2; Murarik, cf, 4-2-1; Pataky, ss, 4-2-3; Zeigler, lf, 4-0-0; Baughman, p, 4-1-1; Miles, p, 0-0-0; Dudurich, rf, 4-2-1; Weld, c, 5-1-3; Zendek, cr, 0-1-0; Lender, 1b, 0-0-0; Ecklund, dh, 4-2-1; McCoy, 3b, 1-0-0; Hare, 3b, 2-0-0. TOTALS 35-13-12.
Bellwood-Antis – Gray, ss-p, 5-1-1; Ju. Manning, 2b-ss, 4-3-3; Kleinfelter, lf, 4-1-2; Kelley, 1b, 5-2-2; Seidel, rf-2b, 5-1-1; Coho, 3b, 4-0-1; Beech, cf, 4-1-1; Winterstein, c, 4-1-2; J. Miller, p-rf, 4-1-1; Wertz, p, 0-0-0; Dougherty, p, 0-0-0. TOTALS 39-11-14.
Moshannon Valley 302 003 32 – 13-12-2.
Bellwood-Antis 300 141 20 – 11-14-3.
2B: Weld 2, Murarik, Dudurich, Kleinfelter 2, Ju. Manning, Beech.
3B: Kelley.
HR: Pataky 2, J. Miller.
RBI: Pataky 5, Weld 2, Murarik, Baughman, Hare, Dombrosky, Kelley 3, J. Miller 2, Coho 2, Kleinfelter, Winterstein.
E: Zeigler 2, Seidel, Coho, Beech.
SO: Baughman 5, Miles 1, J. Miller 5, Wertz 1.
BB: Baughman 1, Miles 1, J. Miller 6.
WP: Miles LP: Gray S: Miles
