By HUNTER O. LYLE
SMETHPORT, PA – When the Crosby Post 976 Legion baseball team stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the sixth, they were in a hole.
Although they had narrowed the deficit, albeit, going from down by five to down by three, the fate of their win streak hung in the balance. With a slow start that saw seven runners stranded in the previous five at-bats as the only thing to draw from, the outside perspective was bleak. Inside the dugout, however, the boys in blue knew they just needed a window.
“Everybody came together as a team,” said Crosby head coach Rich McDowell. “Nobody got down on themselves.”
After the first two men up found ways on base, reaching on an error in the infield and a walk, Crosby got their window. Tarren Reese, Bradford Post 108’s ace on the mound who had pounded the zone for near double-digit strikeouts, had reached his pitch limit. With Reese heading back to the bench, the board had reset and Crosby wouldn’t hesitate to jump.
Launching a barrage of shots into gaps and green against Bradford’s new arms, Post 976 ultimately found a way to their fifth consecutive win, gutting out a 9-6 victory at home as they eye the ensuing playoffs.
With Monday being the third time these two teams met, Crosby’s win streak overlapped their previous meeting. Back on Wednesday, June 17, Post 976 rallied late to sneak out a one-run win over Kane before taking down Bradford a day later, 6-3. Using the back-to-back battles as a springboard, Crosby went on to win the next two contests – against Coudersport and St. Marys – by a combined score of 23-0.
“We’re just getting the bats coming together,” said McDowell. “All in all, we’re starting to get the bats on the ball and looking to finish the season strong.”
However, they did not look like a polished, mid-streak team through the opening frames against Post 108.
Looking to rebound after a split double-header against Kane this past weekend, Bradford wasted no time finding an advantage. Lead-off batter Lucas Wallace took one on the ankle for a trip to first before eventually being pushed to second on a subsequent walk. One batter later, an overthrow on his steal attempt gave him enough time to round third and touch home.
Post 108 added to their lead in the same frame, with Owen Strotman nabbing two RBIs with a bases-loaded double to center field, before cranking in two more runs in the top of the third. Ben Woodhouse brought in one with a perfectly placed line drive triple to the right field wall, followed by Braylan Austin and Jay Parisella’s RBI-singles that put Bradford up 5-1.
Meanwhile, despite giving up a lone run in the bottom of the first – Crosby’s Chase Boyd scored on a passed ball – Reese kept Post 976 at bay, collecting four Ks.
“He pitched awesome,” said Bradford head coach Jim Henry. “He was doing everything effectively. He was hitting his spots and just pitched a fantastic game today.”
As the game progressed, Crosby saw flashes but no fire. In the bottom of the third, Zach Hungiville drove in the team’s first earned runs, batting in a pair with a single to center field, however, Post 976 largely lacked clutch hits, seeing the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth before being dispatched empty-handed.
But as Bradford’s bats began to cool off, the desperation diffused and when Reese walked off the mound for the last time in the bottom of the sixth, Crosby saw their chance.
With two men on base and Post 976 returning to the top of the order, Kellen Veilleux broke open the action, crushing his third hit of the day in the form of an RBI-double to center field. A hit-batter reloaded the diamond, setting the stage for Boyd to repeat the feat, scoring two and knotting the game at 6-6. Seeing the blood in the water, Hungiville’s full-count single scored another to give Crosby their first lead of the game.
As Bradford began shuffling in different arms, searching for their emergency break, Crosby kept their foot on the gas, maintaining pressure and finding two more runs off a passed ball and a baulk. Finding a quick three-run advantage, as well as a dugout filled with momentum, all they needed now was a stop.
Deflated, Bradford didn’t have an answer. Three men up, three men down.
“They got hot in the sixth inning, our foot came off the gas,” said Henry. “(Crosby) executed off of every mistake we made.”
Veilleux led Crosby with three hits in five trips to the plate, recording two runs scored and one more batted in while Boyd and Hungiville both ended 2-for-3, combining for three runs and five RBIs.
For Bradford, Reese ended 2-for-3 with two runs alongside his nine strikeouts, followed by Austin at 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI and Woodhouse, who finished 1-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
As both teams enter the final stretch of their schedules, the regional playoffs loom on the horizon. While Crosby currently sits at 6-2, Post 108 will look to claw back to the 0.500 watermark in their final three games. First, Bradford will see St. Marys on Wednesday before completing their campaign with a road game against Coudersport on Thursday. Coming off a missed opportunity, entering the postseason on a high note will be a worthwhile pursuit.
“We’re going to bounce back,” said Henry. “On Thursday we’ll be ready for a new game and we’ll leave this one in the past.”
AT SMETHPORT
Bradford 303 000 0 R:6 H:8 E:1
Crosby 102 006 X R:9 H:10 E:3
Bradford: Reese (9 SO, 5 BB), Wallace (6) (0 SO, 1 BB), Austin (6) (1 SO, 2 BB), Collins (6) (2 SO, 0 BB) and Iantorno
Crosby: Hungiville (2 SO, 5 BB), Smith (3) (6 SO, 3 BB) and Boyd
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