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Green Hornets strike late

JOHNSTOWN – Juniata Valley had a bit of a rollercoaster ride in its District 6 Class A baseball playoff game Tuesday against Ferndale.

Through four innings the Hornets held a 3-0 lead and seemed to be in control of the game. However, two key errors in the fifth inning allowed the Yellow Jackets to tie the game. Juniata Valley kept its composure, though, and scored two runs in the seventh inning on wild pitches to defeat Ferndale, 5-3.

“We were playing well,” Juniata Valley coach Don Price said. “We had a nice 3-0 lead, and they fought back, which we knew they were capable of that. They are a very good ballclub. It came down to the end. We got a couple of breaks and took advantage of them. We have been living on small ball all year, and it really came back and helped us.”

The Hornets used their small ball game to score the game-winning runs in the seventh inning.

Jack Johnson, who entered the game in the sixth inning as a relief pitcher, led off the inning by being hit by a pitch. Nathan Richner singled and Seth Derugen was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.

Ferndale coach Steve Clawson went to his bullpen and brought in Trey McGough to pitch. McGough uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Johnson to score, giving the Hornets a 4-3 lead. Zinoble then hit a line drive that was snared by second baseman Nate Pudliner. Since Pudliner was playing in to prevent Richner from scoring, he was easily able to double off Derugen at second. After an intentional walk to Bryce Hensor, McGough threw another wild pitch that allowed Richner to score, pushing Juniata Valley’s lead to 5-3.

“The guys on third made a good read,” Price said. “As a coach you can’t send them. The third base runner has to make that read on his own. The kids did a great job of picking it up as soon as it got past the catcher and taking off.”

Johnson got two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh inning before giving up a single to McGough. However, the sophomore did not let the situation rattle him. He got Luc Kulback to ground out to end the game and secure the victory.

The Hornets used a two-out rally to grab the lead in the opening inning.

After a groundout and Zinoble was caught stealing following a single, Hensor doubled to deep left field. Houck followed with a single that plated Hensor. River Stewart then launched a drive to deep center field for a double that sent Houck home for a 2-0 lead. Ferndale started Matt Teplica avoided further damage when he struck out Ian Watson to end the inning.

Juniata Valley took advantage of an error in the third inning to add to its lead. Derugen led off the inning with a ground ball to third. However, a high throw allowed Derugen to stand on second base. Two hitters later, Derugen scored on a single by Hensor.

The Yellow Jackets finally broke through in the fifth inning, thanks to two Hornets errors.

“I knew eventually they would come around,” Clawson said. “We have done this all year. We get down, and there is never any quit in this team. This is one of the most resilient teams I have ever had. I knew they were going to come back, I just didn’t know when. It’s a shame to lose the way that we did, but I am so proud of this group of guys for what they have accomplished this year.”

With the win, Juniata Valley will travel to Homer-Center on Thursday. Ferndale’s season ended with a record of 15-5.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Juniata Valley201 000 2 – 5 7 4

Ferndale000 030 0 – 3 8 3

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