Mistakes costly as Cougars swept by McGuffey

Charleroi pulled to within 5-4 in the seventh before falling to the Highlanders at Vets Field.

Charleroi had every reason to believe the second meeting with McGuffey would end differently. Playing at home and looking to avenge Monday’s tough 5-0 loss, the Cougars came out sharper, cleaner at the plate and more aggressive on the mound.

In the end, it was Mc-Guffey’s defense and Charleroi’s own mistakes that tilted the game as the visitors edged out a 5-4 win Wednesday in a Section 4-3A contest.

“A couple errors really cost us,” said Charleroi assistant coach Brian Corrin, stepping in as acting head coach with Luke Mollis sidelined due to an ejection in Monday’s game. “With some timely hitting there at the end, it could’ve been a different story. I thought we pitched well enough to win the game. Both (Logan) Usher and (Brock) Henderson were spot on today, and that says a lot because they haven’t been able to pitch much with all the rainouts we’ve been having.”

Charleroi (4-3, 3-2) couldn’t have asked for a better start from Usher, who worked a clean first inning, striking out the first three batters on just 16 pitches. He kept McGuffey (6-3-1, 3-1) quiet in the third as well, holding a slim 2-1 lead after Charleroi’s bats capitalized on early mistakes in the second inning. Masyn Grooms delivered an RBI single before an error off Jake Gelder’s grounder allowed Jake Corrin to cross home plate.

But trouble found the Cougars in the fourth.

Usher had walked two, and a dropped fly ball in center field opened the door for Mc-Guffey. What could’ve been a manageable inning unraveled into a three-run frame, and the game flipped, with the Cougars trailing 4-2.

“Our guys had better approaches at the plate today than we did on Monday, we just couldn’t find the soft spots, as far as putting the ball in play,” Corrin said. “I have to commend Mc-Guffey’s infield, they played some stellar baseball.”

McGuffey’s defense consistently snuffed out Cougar rallies. In the second inning, Charleroi’s threat was cut short on a sharp double play. In the fourth, with the Cougars threatening, first baseman Reno Presto snared a line drive from Grooms and tagged the bag for an unassisted double play that ended the inning.

Charleroi continued to chip away, but missed chances loomed large. In the sixth, after back-to-back singles from Dylan Klinger and Kaden Woods, a wild pitch advanced both into scoring position. But a miscue on the basepaths and a called third strike on Jake Corrin ended the threat, leaving two runners stranded. On the mound, Brock Henderson relieved Usher in the fifth and kept Charleroi within reach.

He worked around errors and a hit batter to post two scoreless innings flashing poise under pressure. His effort late in the game drew praise from Coach Corrin.

“He’s definitely a leader on this team, and he’s growing into his own,” he said of the junior. “I was impressed how he came in and did tremendously those last couple innings. Both of our guys on the mound gave us a chance today, and that’s all we can ask for out of them.”

In the bottom of the seventh, Charleroi mounted one last push. After Braeden Todaro reached on an error, Henderson ripped a double to left-center to drive him in and make it 5-3. Jace Pager’s grounder turned into another McGuffey error, and suddenly it was 5-4, with the tying run on base.

McGuffey pulled starter Brogan Meighen after nearly seven full innings and 95 pitches, turning to shortstop Cam Dames to close it out. On the first pitch to Klinger, Dames induced a pop-up to second base to get the save and end the game.

Charleroi outhit McGuffey, 6-2, but five costly errors told the story.

Corrin remained optimistic about what the team can build on from this game.

“We’ll learn from it,” he said plainly. “We still saw some good things today, just need to tighten up, and we’ll be fine.”