DANVILLE - For three innings, Shamokin-Mount Carmel played baseball the way it's been playing it lately, pulling two double plays in the field and locked in a scoreless tie with Danville.
Then the Stripes and Strikes went to playing the way they did earlier in the season. Shamokin-Mount Carmel committed four errors in the fourth inning, leading to six runs, and went to drop a 7-2 decision in the Susquehanna Valley American Legion playoff tournament.
Shamokin-Mount Carmel (9-9) will play tonight at Bloomsburg in an elimination game. Danville will play at top-seeded Berwick in the unbeaten game.
"Mistakes really cost us," said Shamokin-Mount Carmel coach Shawn Kalinoski. "We really threw the ball around in that fourth inning. You just can't make mistakes like that against a good team and in this situation. Zach Tocyloski threw a good game but we didn't help him."
Tocyloski only gave up five hits, and only two of the six runs he gave up were earned.
Shamokin-Mount Carmel took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth against Mason Fausnaught on a walk to Austin Fry, a single by Tocyloski and a sacrifice fly by Danny Lesko.
But the wheels totally came off in the bottom half of the inning. Cody Keefer led off with a single for Danville (12-5), advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Fausnaught's double. After a strikeout, Bryson Cromley reached base on a throwing error and Fausnaught scored, Mark Mullery singled and Tyler Fisher also reached base on an error. Fisher stole second and the catcher's throw bounced into the outfield, allowing Cromley and Mullery to score. Colton Riley followed with a run-scoring single and eventually scored on another throwing error.
Danville added another run in the next inning when Tyler Thompson, relieving Tocyloski, walked the first three batters and gave up a sacrifice fly to Cromley.
Shamokin-Mount Carmel picked up a run in the sixth on singles by Fry and Brody Young and a sacrifice fly by Tocyloski.
Shamokin-Mount Carmel beat Danville twice in the regular season.
"This was the first time they saw Fausnaught though," Danville coach Harold Albertson said. "They saw him last year. He threw a great game. He was around the plate all night."
Kalinoski said he thought his team would bounce back.
"We have been playing well, so I think these guys will just go out and play ball tomorrow and forget about this," he said.
Game Summary
SHAM-MC (AB-R-H-BI) - Gurba 3-0-1-0, Deptula 3-0-0-0, Fry 2-2-1-0, Young 3-0-1-0, Bettleyon 0-0-0, Tocyloski 1-0-1-1, Bressi 0-0-0-0, Lesko 2-0-0-1, Thompson 3-0-0-0, Jones 2-0-0-0, Haladay 1-0-0-0, Miller 2-0-0-0. Totals 22-2-4-2.
DANVILLE (AB-R-H-BI) - Riley 3-1-2-1, Mordan 0-0-0-0, Stine 1-0-0-0, Riley 2-0-0-0, Schiffino 1-0-0-0, Heeter 4-0-0-0, Keefer 2-1-1-0, Bickhart 0-1-0-0, Fausnaught 1-1-1-1, Brent 2-0-0-0, Lupini 0-0-0-0, Cromley 2-1-0-1, Mullery 3-1-1-0, Fisher 3-1-0-0. Totals 24-7-5-3.
Extra-base hits: 2B - Fausnaught.
IP H R ER BB K
Sham-MC
Tocyloski (L) 4 5 6 2 1 4
Thompson 2 0 1 1 3 4
Danville
Fausnaught (W) 7 4 2 2 2 7