Gilmore

HOMER CITY — Claysburg-Kimmel entered uncharted territory on Thursday afternoon as the baseball team, fresh off a thrilling come-from-behind and extra-inning win on Monday, took part in quarterfinal action of the PIAA Class 1A playoffs.

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs couldn’t transfer any of that excitement and momentum into their matchup with Elk County Catholic.

Both teams finished by leaving nine runners on base, the difference was the Crusaders also had six more reach base that were able to come around to score.

C-K had its unbelievable season end with a 6-0 loss at First Commonwealth Field to an ECC team that got an outstanding complete game pitching performance from junior Matthew Gilmore.

Meanwhile, not only were the Claysburg bats somewhat quiet as it managed just five hits off Gilmore, but the dugout was extremely quiet as it’s usually buzzing with plenty of chatter throughout the contest.

“The energy was down definitely,” Claysburg-Kimmel coach Kyle Glass said. “You’re in the Elite 8 of the state playoffs, you’ve got to come and give it 150-percent and we didn’t today. I’m not sure why and it’s something I could think about all night on why we didn’t. It’s something we can’t fix now. But they (Elk County Catholic) shut us out — they blanked us. Their pitcher did a great job.”

A lot of that had to do not only with how Gilmore was able to hold C-K scoreless by getting himself out of the few jams he was in, but also how much its own pitchers struggled with command and throwing strikes.

Dustin Slowik Jr. got the starting nod and lasted just 1• innings. He gave up three hits, three earned runs, walked two, and struck out one on 35 pitches.

Treon relieved him and went 2ª innings with three hits, two earned runs, walked two and struck out three on 54 pitches.

Since the District 6 playoffs began on May 18 until Thursday — a five-game span — Slowik has gone 14ª innings with 293 pitches, and Treon has tossed 13• innings with 225 pitches.

“Yea, it could 100-percent be that,” Glass said when asked whether the heavy workload by his two ace pitchers played a factor in their struggles. “Those two guys were our horses all year. They’ve both thrown probably 50 innings this year. … You’re 100-percent correct, we’ve relied on those guys all year, and maybe that’s something that next year we need to have more guys to be able to rely on in situations like these when your No. 1 and No. 2 just can’t get it done on that day. That happens — that’s baseball. You see it all the time, big league pitchers can’t get it done that day, so they have to go to the next guy. Maybe we need some more next guys to help us get to that next level of where we want to be.”

On the flip side, in addition to just the five hits given up, Gilmore struck out seven and walked two in earning the shutout.

“Matty has been great on the mound all year for us,” Elk County Catholic coach James Slay said. “It’s great to see him keep that rolling. … He just delivered strike after strike today which is great.”

The Crusaders took advantage by scoring one run in the bottom of the first when Gilmore led off with a ground-rule double over the left field fence and then scored with two outs on Chase Simbeck’s single.

The Bulldogs left runners stranded at the corners in the top half of the second as Slowik reached on a hit by pitch, while Nate Fee earned a walk. Gilmore struck out designated hitter Logan Tremmel to get out of trouble.

In the bottom half of the second, ECC’s Jack Breindel smacked an RBI double to left center that allowed Gideon Cronk, who was walked, to score from first.

With Treon in as pitcher, Breindel was pushed home on Brady Leathers’ single to center to put Elk County Catholic up 3-0.

“In big spots, guys on third less than two outs, we hit a ground ball or a fly ball,” Slay said on his team’s ability to get runs across the plate. “That’s a testament to our team — they’ve been doing it all year long. They’re playing small ball well, and they are running the bases well to get us in scoring position where we can be a little more aggressive with a bunt or a sacrifice fly.”

The Crusaders got another run in the third as Simbeck, who finished with three hits, singled to left, moved to second when Charlie Geci was walked, and then came in to score from second on an error at third by C-K’s Paydden Knisely who booted the ball far enough into short center to get Simbeck home easily.

Claysburg-Kimmel had its best chance to score in the top of the fourth as Slowik led off with a single and Ayden Soler followed with one of his own to second base.

Both Bulldogs moved up a base when Gilmore tried to pick off Slowik at second but sailed the ball into center.

With no outs, Claysburg had runners in scoring position. Unfortunately, Gilmore struck out the next three as Knisely was retired looking at three pitches, while Fee and Tremmel swung and missed on the third strike.

Rather than potentially cut the deficit in half, C-K still trailed 4-0.

“That was the difference,” Glass said. “We got guys in scoring position, and the last couple of games, somebody’s been coming up with that clutch hit to get us a run or two to maybe spark that energy a little bit.”

ECC responded by tacking on two runs of its own in the bottom half as Frankie Smith worked a walk, then Gilmore was hit by a Treon pitch.

With one out after Leathers connected on a sacrifice bunt to move both teammates up a base, Paxton Herzing came through with an RBI groundout to second.

Simbeck knocked Gilmore home on a single to left to set the eventual final score.

With two outs in the fifth, Brayden Haney delivered a single to left center and moved up into scoring position at second on a wild pitch. Unfortunately, Gilmore got Treon to fly out to left to end the C-K chance.

“I’m really happy with the way the guys behind me played,” Gilmore said. “It definitely makes my job a lot easier on the mound.”

Haney came on in relief of Treon in the bottom of the fifth, and the senior, who was fresh after not having pitched since a loss to Mount Union on May 5, held Elk County Catholic scoreless in his two innings of work.

Four base runners reached as Breindel got first when Knisely’s throw from third sailed wide of first base and Frankie Smith was walked in the fifth, while Herzing singled and Geci was hit by a pitch in the sixth.

Haney got out of the jams with a fly out in the fifth and strike out in the sixth.

Claysburg-Kimmel had two more runners reached in its last at-bats as Nathan Cox worked a walk and Haney singled to left before Treon grounded out to short to end the game and the season.

The Bulldogs finished the year with a record of 17-8, and they’ll graduate Campagna, Haney, Knisely, Paul-Kenneth Strayer, Matthew Lehman and Cory Walter.

“These seniors mean everything to the program. This is only my second year, but I really believe that they started a stepping stone — district champs for the first time since 2007 and first state playoff game win ever. I feel like these seniors showed our underclassmen what it takes to get to this level and be in this situation. I think the sophomores and even our younger kids that I saw out in the stands, I think that helps realize that, yes, we are a small town but we can make it happen with the hard work that we put in.”

Elk County Catholic (20-3) advanced to the semifinals to play Eden Christian Academy, a 6-1 winner over West Middlesex, on Monday at a site and time to be determined.

“I told the guys to enjoy the bus ride home, but once we get back to school, we’ve got to get ready for Monday,” Slay said.

CLAYSBURG-KIMMEL (0): Campagna c 401, Haney ss-p 402, Treon cf-p-cf 400, Slowik p-1b-ss 101, Soler rf-cf-rf 201, Knisely 3b 300, Fee lf 200, Claar 1b 000, Tremmel dh-rf-1b 200, Strayer ph 100, Cox 2b 200. Totals — 25-0-5.

ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC (6): Gilmore p 311, Chamberlin cr 010, Leathers 3b 301, Herzing c 401, Ruffner cr 000, Simbeck lf 413, Geci 1b 200, L. Smith ss 000, W. Brem dh 400, Cronk 2b 210, Breindel rf 211, F. Smith cf 010. Totals — 24-6-7.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Claysburg-Kimmel 000 000 0–0 5 2

Elk County Catholic 121 200 X–6 7 1

E–Knisely 2, Gilmore. 2B–Gilmore, Breindel. RBI–Simbeck 2, Leathers, Herzing, Breindel. SB–L. Smith 2, Simbeck. WP–Gilmore. HBP– Slowik 2 (by Gilmore, by Gilmore); Gilmore (by Treon); Geci (by Haney). LOB–Claysburg-Kimmel 9, Elk County Catholic 9.

PITCHING

Claysburg-Kimmel: Slowik (L) –1.1 innings, 3 H, 1 K, 2 BB, 3 R, 3 ER, 35 pitches. Treon — 2.2 innings, 3 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 3 R, 2 ER, 54 pitches. Haney — 2 innings, 1 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 0 R, 0 ER, 38 pitches.

Elk County Catholic: Gilmore (W) — 7 innings, 5 H, 7 K, 2 BB, 0 R, 0 ER, 89 pitches.

Records: Claysburg-Kimmel (17-8); Elk County Catholic (20-3).