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By Todd Irwin
sports@altoonamirror.com
DuBOIS -- On paper, the PIAA Class 1A first-round state playoff game between defending state champion Clarion and a 10-13 Bishop Carroll team appeared to be one stop on another state title run for the Bobcats.
The Huskies ripped that paper up on Monday night at a sparkling Showers Field in DuBois.
Bishop Carroll set the tone from the start, scoring three runs in the first inning before riding the pitching arm of senior pitcher Mark Mento, who gave up only one run in six innings of a 9-3 upset of the stunned Bobcats.
"This team shocks me every day," BC coach Bill Schenk said. "Throughout the season, we would play great baseball and then we would come out and look like a whole different team.
"We talked yesterday about just put some runs on the board, make the game tight for them. (Clarion) are the big-time favorites. They're the defending state champions. Put them in pressure and we'll see what we can do."
"This feels awesome," Mento said. "This is the team to beat. We knew this was going to be one of the hardest games to win. To come out here and do it feels great."
Mento scattered six hits while striking out three and walking one. The Huskies made only one error and made clutch defensive plays. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning. The only run he gave up was a Derek Smail solo home run over the center field fence in the sixth inning.
"I just tried to stay down and let my fielders do all the work," Mento said. "They had my back the whole way through the game. Their No. 3 and 4 hitters could really hit the ball. That guy hit that ball every bit of 400 feet it seemed like."
"Mento pitched very well," Schenk said. "He threw in our district semis, and we rested him during the championship game."
"Their pitcher threw a great game," Clarion coach Rob Jewett said. "We just couldn't get a rally going. He was throwing strikes and they made some really good defensive plays."
The Huskies erupted for three runs in first as they took advantage of control problems by Clarion pitcher Tanner Miller, who walked two, hit a batter and gave up two hits, including a two-run single by Max Oravec.
"The first thing I said to them usually we're on the other side of that shoe," Schenk said. "I said it's about time it went in our favor. We got the clutch hits today when we needed them, and it came from the whole team."
Carroll took advantage of what looked like a blown call by home plate umpire Jerry Neal, who ruled Cullen Myers had fouled an offering off instead of striking out swinging. Myers fouled a couple more pitches off and then doubled to left field to plate two runs.
"He absolutely did (strike out)," Jewett said. "That ball hit the plate and not the bat. He missed that one and it hurt us."
BC added to the lead in the seventh on a pair of two-run doubles by Luke Repko and Grant Casses, giving the Huskies a 9-1 lead.
Mento came and threw his warm-up pitches before the top of the seventh, but Schenk made the pitching change, bringing Repko.
"I wasn't even thinking about it," Schenk said. "My assistant was all over it. He said 'He's at 73 (pitches) and we're up eight. If we need him Thursday, we've got to pull him now.' I was running through different options we had. I figured if we have him, we'll have four pitchers available Thursday."
"I was pretty disappointed," Mento said laughing.
Clarion scored twice in the seventh, but the game ended with BC turning a double play.
Now the Huskies will take on Saegertown, an 8-0 winner over Bishop Canevin on Thursday at a site and time to be announced.
"I haven't thought about it," Schenk said. "I have so much stuff going through my head right now. We haven't been in this situation as a school in 14 years."
Bishop Carroll (9): Repko cf-p 512, Gillin 1b 511, Casses ss 322, Myers rf 412, Mento p-cf 310, Sekerak 2b 311, Oravec lf 312, Gregg 3b 400, Becquet c 100, Franceschini ph 010. Totals: 31-9-10.
Clarion (3): Da. Smail ss 412, Brinkley cf 301, Harrison 3b-c 401, Rex cr 000, De. Smail 1b 411, Frederick pr 000, Lauer rf-p-2b 300, Miller p-lf 301 Dy. Smail cr 000, Alston 3b 301, Girvan dh 300, Watterson lf 311, Weber c 000. Totals: 30-3-8.
SCORE BY INNINGS
Bishop Carroll 300 200 4 -- 9 10 1
Clarion 000 001 2 -- 3 8 1
Errors--Casses, De. Smail. 2B--Repko, Casses, Myers, Oravec; Harrison. HR--De. Smail. RBIs--Repko 2, Casses 2, Myers 2, Oravec 2, Sekerak; De. Smail. SB--Repko, Brinkley. CS--Miller. DP--Bishop Carroll. LOB--Bishop Carroll 10, Clarion 7. HBP--Sekarak (by Miller).
PITCHING
Bishop Carroll: Mento (W)-- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO.; Repko--1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
Clarion: Miller (L)--2 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 4 SO; Lauer--2 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO; De. Smail 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO.
Records: Bishop Carroll (11-13); Clarion (18-3)