BASEBALL: One bad inning spells doom for Chambersburg in loss to Cumberland Valley

NEW KINGSTOWN >> One bad inning was all it took to derail a three-game winning streak by the Chambersburg baseball team.

Cumberland Valley scored four runs in the third inning and that was enough to post a 5-3 Mid Penn Commonwealth Division victory on Thursday afternoon.

In that third inning, the Trojans (8-6, 5-5 MPC) committed a balk, a throwing error, two dropped throws on what would have been successful pickoffs and a passed ball, and allowed three singles and a pair of stolen bases.

"That inning was disastrous," Chambersburg coach Bob Thomas said. "We played three games in a row where we played pretty good and then ... tonight. Every time it seems we get into a good groove something like this happens and it always seems to happen when (Austin) Suders is pitching."

Suders allowed six hits and three walks and struck out four, and only two of the runs for the Eagles (5-4, 4-4 MPC) were earned.

It was 5-0 when the Trojans tried to mount a comeback. In the fifth, Bryce Fiegl was hit by a pitch and Kevin Carbaugh singled. Carlin Christian then belted a double to bring both runners home.

In the top of the seventh, with two outs, Manning Brookens hit a single and Christian drew a walk. Matt Stonesifer (2-for-4) then produced a base hit to drive in a run and when he stole second, Chambersburg had runners on second and third.

That brought up Drew Betz. On a 3-1 pitch, he lined a shot down the leftfield line that Thomas said missed being fair by less than two feet.

"That would have tied it," Thomas said.

But with a 3-2 count, Betz was called out on strikes to end the game.

Thomas said, "Of our eight strikeouts, five were called third strikes. And of those five, four came on 3-2 counts. You can read between the lines on that one.

"We are starting to hit the ball – we had eight tonight, all after the third innings. But we left six guys in scoring position and hit into two double plays."

Had Chambersburg won, it would have been one of a group of teams with four league losses sitting right behind first-place Mifflin County, which has three.

Cumberland Valley 5 Chambersburg 3

Chambersburg0000201—384Cumb. Valley004100x—562

W — Austin Wacker; L — Austin Suders (1-4).

2B — (C) Carlin Christian, Bryce Feigl, (CV) Andrew Smith; SB — (CV) Austin Bush 3, Alex Staton, James Barber.

JV — Cumberland Valley 7, Chambersburg 4. Pitcher Chance McClure allowed only 1 earned run. He was also 3-for-4, and Kaden Hoover, Spencer Seaman and Christian Cooper each had a pair of hits.