Baseball

Too many LOB ends NBC’s year

By Nate Ritchey

nritchey@altoonamirror.com

Northern Bedford got the early lead it was looking for on Tuesday afternoon against North Star.

Unfortunately, for the Black Panthers, the one run in the first inning was all they could push across the plate.

NBC surrendered six unanswered runs to the Cougars as it saw its season come to an end with a 6-1 loss in the District 5 Class 2A championship at Bedford Area High School.

"We jumped out early and got that run on (Cayden) Turner -- he's a good pitcher," Northern Bedford coach Ryan Cherry said. "Things were looking up for us at that point as I thought we'd be in a good spot. But, throughout the game we were (1-for-8) with runners in scoring position. We were in spots where we needed to cash in and we didn't."

For the game, Northern was just 1-for-11 with runners on base and 1-for-8 with them being in scoring position.

The Cougars were 6-for-15 with players on base and 6-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

"When you have those opportunities in these high-stake games, you've just got to cash in," North Star coach Jake Klukaszewski said. "On the flip side of that, our pitchers did a good job of not letting it get to them. They still challenged them (Northern Bedford) even though they are a good offensive team. We were still trusting the leather behind us. I'm just really proud of them for having the timely hitting but also being mentally tough enough to get out of those jams that we were in."

Leadoff hitter Aaron Bowers singled to left to get the Panthers started on the right foot.

The junior stole second and then took third on a passed ball.

Starting pitcher Reece Musselman helped his own cause by hitting a single to center to chase Bowers home to put Northern up 1-0.

Josiah Bowser reached on an error by North Star third baseman Bryson Durst.

However, Musselman and Bowser were left stranded following back-to-back fly outs by Rece Dibert and Eion Snider.

Musselman struck out five of the first eight batters he faced to keep the Cougars off the board.

"We knew it's not a one-inning game but it's a seven-inning game," Klukaszewski said. "So, we knew we just had to keep fighting for seven innings. I feel like we were prepared for going into this environment, especially for being in this game for the past three years."

With one out in the bottom of the third, Andy Retassie, Turner and Connor Yoder all singled as the 1-2-3 hitters for North Star.

Yoder's hit knocked in Retassie to tie the game before Braden Livingston lifted a sacrifice fly to Ben Gable in left to allow Turner to score upon tagging up.

The Cougars tacked on a third run as Yoder touched the plate when Glendon Griffith singled to left, but then was thrown out at second to end the third.

"When they (North Star) had runners in scoring position they came through and we didn't," Cherry said.

NBC got a double from Dibert, two walks, and Alex Kochara reached on an error over the next two innings but was unable to cash in.

Retassie was hit by a Musselman pitch to start the North Star half of the fifth and then moved to second when Turner walked.

With Bowser on in relief for Musselman, Yoder tripled to center on a 1-2 pitch to push across Retassie and Turner to give the Cougars a 5-1 cushion.

Yoder was left on third as Bowser got out of the inning with two strikeouts and a flyout.

Dibert, who went 2-for-3, and Snider both singled to center to start the sixth, but were left stranded as the next three NBC batters were retired.

North Star added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Parker Scherer led off with a single, and then moved to second on Vance Kimmel's single. A Bowser wild pitch pushed Scherer to third before a Retassie hit to left sent him home to set the final.

Northern Bedford, which concluded its season at 14-7, graduates Gable, Dibert, Snider, Bowser and Noah Kochara.

"We have five really good seniors," Cherry said. "We're really going to miss their leadership, what they bring to the dugout, their intensity level. When we moved here from Maryland, they are the first kids that I've seen grow up through the program. So, they have a special place in my heart."

NORTHERN BEDFORD (1): Bowers 1b 411, Horsh 2b 300, Musselman p-cf 402, N. Kochara rf 000, Bowser dh-p 400, Dibert cf-rf 302, E. Snider 3b 301, Gable lf 200, Kagarise c 300, A. Kochara ss 301. Totals — 29 1 7.

NORTH STAR (6): Retassie 2b 322, Turner p-cf 121, Yoder ss 312, Livingston c 300, Griffith lf 301, Weible rf 301, Meyers 1b 000, Scherer dh 311, Kimmel cf-p 301, Durst 3b 300. Totals — 25 6 9.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Northern Bedford 100 000 0–1 7 0

North Star 003 021 X–6 9 2

E–Durst, Meyers. 2B–A. Kochara, Dibert. 3B–Yoder. RBI–Musselman, Yoder 3, Livingston, Griffith, Retassie. SB–Bowers, Horsh. WP–Bowser, Kimmel. PB–Kagarise, Livingston.

PITCHING

Northern Bedford: Musselman (L) –4 innings, 5 H, 6 K, 2 BB, 5 R, 5 ER, 75 pitches.

Bowser — 2 innings, 4 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 ER, 33 pitches.

North Star: Turner (W) — 4 2/3 innings, 4 H, 8 K, 2 BB, 1 R, 1 ER, 101 pitches

Kimmel — 2 1/3 innings, 3 H, 4 K, 0 BB, 0 R, 0 ER, 39 pitches.

Records: Northern Bedford (14-7); North Star (19-4).