NTL BASEBALL: CANTON COMES UP SHORT AGAINST SAYRE IN DISTRICT SEMIFINALS (2021-05-27)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
BLOOMSBURG — Canton coach Bob Rockwell knew his team would need a perfect game to beat Sayre in the District IV, Class AA semifinal game Thursday. He got a pretty good effort from his team, but it wasn’t perfect, and the Warriors fell 9-2.

“Sayre’s a better team,” said Rockwell. “We have to play great ball, error free ball, to beat them. They’re just a heck of a team. It was a great season, our kids got guts, they compete hard. We just got beat by a better team.”

Errors hurt Canton early, allowing Sayre to amass a 4-0 lead. Then, by the third time through the order, Sayre’s bats got hot, while Redskin starter Luke Horton was strong on the mound.

The sophomore struck out six, while allowing just two walks, three hits, and the two runs in a complete game. Only one of the runs was earned.

“Horton’s tough,” said Rockwell. “I wish I had Horton. Nothing against my pitchers, because I love my pitchers, too. I’d do anything for a guy like Horton.”

Weston Bellows (2-for-3) had the best day against Horton, while Carter Route (1-for-2) had the other hit. Cooper Kitchen drew both walks, and scored off one, while Evan Landis scored the other run.

The Warriors used five different pitchers, beginning with Carter Route, who went 3 1/3-innings to take the loss. He struck out one, with three walks, five hits, and seven runs, only three of which were earned.

“Carter Route pitched a hell of a game,” said Rockwell. “That’s what we were trying to do, keep them off balance, and he pitched awesome.”

Joel Schoonover then went two-thirds of an inning, striking out two with one hit. Bellows pitched an inning, with one strikeout, two walks, one hit, and two earned runs.

Brendan Matthews tossed, but didn’t record an out, walking two. Kitchen pitched the final inning, striking out one.

Number nine batter Jackson Hubbard (2-for-2) had the big bat for Sayre. He reached on all three at bats, scored a run, and had a 2-RBI double.

Jake Burgess (1-for-3), Brayden Horton (1-for-3), Luke Horton (1-for-3), David Northrup (1-for-4), and Zach Moore (1-for-3) all had hits.

Brayden Horton had 2-RBI, with Burgess, and Moore each driving in a run. Burgess scored three times, with Horton, Northrup, Moore, Oakley Gorman, and Mason Houseknecht also scoring.

Canton went down 1-2-3 to start the game, but in the bottom of the first Burgess led off with a walk for Sayre.

After two outs, Northrup singled to right. The ball took a bad hop and got past the outfielder, allowing Burgess to score.

Down 1-0 in the top of the second, Weston Bellows got a solid hit off Horton, but was caught stealing second. Horton then got the other two Warriors to fly-out to end the at bat.

Sayre went down in order in the bottom of the second, while Canton did in the top of the third.

In the bottom of the third Hubbard reached on a lead-off walk. Burgess would then reach on a fielder’s choice, followed by a fly-out.

Luke Horton then hit a 2-out single to put two runners on. After a pass ball moved them up, an error off the bat of Northrup brought in both Burgess, and Luke Horton to make it 3-0.

A hard hit line drive to center by Moore allowing Northrup to score, making it 4-0 Sayre.

Canton got one back in the top of the fourth as Kitchen drew a 1-out walk. After a strikeout, Weston Bellows singled to put runners on the corners.

Then, with a 3-2 count, Weston Bellows took a stroll down to second base. It drew the attention of pitcher Luke Horton, and he was caught in a rundown. 

Sayre was able to get him out, but not before Kitchen crossed home, cutting the lead to 4-1.

The ‘Skins, though, got their bats rolling in the bottom half of the inning.

VanDuzer drew a lead-off walk, followed by Hubbard hitting a 1-out single. Burgess then singled to score Gorman, who was running for VanDuzer.

A Brayden Horton hit then brought in Hubbard, and Burgess to make it 7-1. Schoonover got out of the jam with back to back strikeouts.

Canton went down in order in the fifth, but Sayre wasn’t done. In the bottom half of the inning Moore had a lead-off walk.

Then, with two outs, Houseknecht drew a walk. To set up Hubbard’s 2-RBI double for the 9-1 lead.

The Warriors got a run in the bottom of the fifth as Route led off with a single. He would be out at second base on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Landis, but a bad throw allowed Landis to take second. 

Cam Bellows then reached on an error, allowing Landis to take third. After a Kitchen walk loaded the bases, Landis then scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Hudson Ward to cut it to 9-2.

Weston Bellows then came up, and hit the ball hard for the third time that day, but it was right at the left fielder, ending the Canton rally.

Neither team scored after that.

The Warriors end the season 18-4, and, while their underclassmen got valuable experience, Rockwell loses quite a bit of starters to graduation.

“They’re the leaders of the team,” said Rockwell. “They’re great kids.”

They fought to the end, making Sayre earn every out. Even in the top of the seventh, with two outs, Timmy Ward - leg brace and all - tried to leg out a slowing rolling grounder, and nearly did to extend the game.

“What people don’t know Timmy Ward was rehabbing so hard just to come back for the second half of the season, which is pretty incredible in itself,” said Rockwell. “You should have seen how this kid was working to try to get back to this, and he did.”

He has stories about that with all seniors, and he hopes the underclassmen can carry their legacy on to next season.

CUTLINE: Canton’s Cooper Kitchen, and Carter Route converge on a fly ball against Sayre Thursday…PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING.