C-K’s Black wins it with walk-off homer in last at bat
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By Nate Ritchey
nritchey@altoonamirror.com
EBENSBURG -- Claysburg-Kimmel felt the swing of emotion and momentum shift on Monday afternoon in its PIAA first-round game with Frazier.
The Lady Bulldogs had a four-run lead, then unraveled as the Commodores battled back to tie it in the top half of the seventh.
However, in the bottom of the seventh, one swing off the bat from freshman McKenna Black completely changed the mood in the Claysburg dugout as the ball sailed over the left-centerfield fence for a walk-off 8-6 victory at Central Cambria High School.
"Honestly, I was just thinking about putting the ball in play -- try to move her (Ryleigh Lehman) up and try to be a team player," McKenna Black said. "... I didn't know it went over, honestly. I was just so focused on putting it in play and going. I didn't even see it go over the fence and then I saw it, and I was just so happy for our whole team."
With the game knotted at 6-6, C-K senior McKenzi Black worked a walk from Frazier's Madison Bednar before Ryleigh Lehman came on as a courtesy runner in her place.
Lehman was nearly picked off first base on a throw that beat the runner but the sophomore was ruled to have gotten her hand back in ahead of the tag.
"The call, I think was terrible" Frazier coach Don Hartman said. "I never complain but I thought that girl was out by two feet at first base on the pickoff. ... Then, she (McKenna Black) reaches out and hits a home run out of this whiffle ball field."
The next pitch, McKenna took and deposited it over the fence to push the Bulldogs into a Thursday matchup with Chartiers Houston, a 13-3 winner over Cambridge Springs.
"With all these fans here, we wanted to give them a game. We didn't want to come out here and make it so easy," Claysburg-Kimmel coack Mike Barbarini joked. "The girls are young, they're making some mistakes along the way with the errors a couple of times. But, offensively, we came back with the bats and made it count when we needed to."
With Claysburg leading 6-3 going into the final inning, Claire Domonkos singled to center to lead-off before Jayanna Ciferno, the number nine hitter, smacked a two-run homer to straightaway center out of the same "whiffle ball field" that Coach Hartman eluded to that pulled the Commodores to within 6-5.
Facing the top of the lineup, Cavender got Jensyn Hartman to pop one up to her near the mound before getting Maria Felsher to ground out.
Delaney Warnick delivered a solid hit to right-center that C-K right fielder Launa Musselman had hit her glove and roll out to allow Warnick to reach second.
Grace Vaughn chased Warnick home with a RBI single to center to tie the game at 6-6.
"We told the bottom (of the order) to turn this thing over to our seniors and see if we can get this thing done," Coach Hartman said. "Claire got on base and Jayanna hits the home run."
Bednar then flew out to end the top of the seventh.
"They (Frazier) came up with their eight-nine hitters and their nine hitter hit a homer in and their number eight hitter got a hit when she didn't do anything all game," Barbarini said. "We sucked it up and came back there -- that's the confidence they have in themselves.
McKenzi Black singled to center to open the second, moved to second on a wild pitch and to third when Swindell got on base on an error by Frazier shortstop Gracen Hartman.
Zakera Bush smacked a single to right to score McKenzi Black and then took second when the throw came home.
Swindell, who moved up to third on the throw, was driven in when Musselman laid down a sacrifice bunt to the third base side to put Claysburg up 2-0.
Felsher got the Commodores on the board in the third when she singled to right-center to allow Ciferno to cross the plate from second base.
The Bulldogs would get three more in their half of the third as Bella Francona tripled to right field and then scored on an error by Frazier catcher Emi Bednar.
McKenzi Black walked, stole second and moved to third on McKenna Black's single to center.
When Jensyn Hartman, the center fielder, bobbled the ball, McKenzi Black came into score and McKenna Black made it to second.
With Swindell up, McKenna Black went to third a a wild pitch and then scored when Swindell reached on an error by Gracen Hartman that made the score 5-1.
Frazier pulled within 5-3 in the fifth as Cavender and catcher Nevaeh Walter struggled through the inning with two wild pitches and two passes balls that aided Commodores' ability to tack on the two runs.
"We got down a little bit on ourselves, and we're picking on each other," Barbarini said. "But, we turned that around and came back and executed when we needed to.
Cavender struck out nine and walked three, while Frazier pitcher Madison Bednar recorded just one strikeout and walked three.
In the sixth, Bush, who singled to lead-off would score on a controversial call with Walter at the plate.
Walter scorched a pitch down to third where Frazier third baseman Gracie Vaughn had the ball hit off her glove and ricochet to the shortstop area which resulted in a collision by Gracen Hartman and Musselman.
The third base umpire ruled interference on Musselman which would have ended the inning with the run not counting.
However, after the umpires met together, the call was overturned and Musselman was ruled to have third base and Bush's run counted to make the score 6-3 after six innings.
"(Coach Barbarini) said we need to just play as a team and not get down," McKenna Black said. "We need to play as a team, have fun and relax."
FRAZIER (6): J. Hartman cf 411, Felsher 2b 402, Warnick 1b 310, Vaughn 301, M. Bednar 201, Salisbury cr 000, E. Bednar c 300, G. Hartman ss 300, Domonkos lf 311, Ciferno rf 232. Totals -- 27 6 8.
CLAYSBURG-KIMMEL (8): Cavender p 301, J. Helsel cf 200, Walter c 300, Francona 2b 411, McKenzi Black 3b 221, Lehman cr 010, McKenna Black lf 422, Swindell ss 110, Bush 1b 312, Musselman rf 201. Totals -- 24 8 8.
SCORE BY INNINGS
Frazier 001 020 3--6 8 5
Claysburg-Kimmel 023 001 2--8 8 1
E--G. Hartman 2, J. Hartman, E. Bednar, Vaughn, Musselman. 2B--none. 3B--Francona. HR--Ciferno, McKenna Black. RBI--Ciferno 2, Felsher, J. Hartman, Vaughn, McKenna Black, Bush, Musselman. SB--Salisbury, Ciferno, Cavendee, Swindell, J. Helsel. CS--none. WP--M. Bednar 2, Cavender 3. PB--E. Bednar, Walter 2.
PITCHING
Frazier: M. Bednar (L) --6 innings, 8 H, 1 K, 3 BB, 8 R, 7 ER, 105 pitches.
Claysburg-Kimmel: Cavender (W) -- 7 innings, 8 H, 9 K, 3 BB, 6 R, 5 ER, 106 pitches.
Records: Frazier (14-4); Claysburg-Kimmel (21-3).