Big innings lift County over City

June 27--Isaac Mattson was long removed from Thursday's Walmart Erie City-County All-Star Baseball Game by the time it ended.

His performance, though, lingered throughout the nine-inning contest at Penn State Behrend.

Mattson demonstrated why University of Pittsburgh baseball coach Joe Jordano recruited him as he excelled during his two-inning start for the County, which won 10-4.

The Harbor Creek graduate retired the City's Ted DeSanti on a high bouncer back through the box, and then struck out its next five batters.

The County batted around in the bottom of the fourth and sixth innings for eight of its 10 runs. However, Mattson's effort still resonated to garner enough votes for the Joe Lunger Award as the game's most valuable player.

"I just went out there and threw," Mattson said of his last high school outing. "(Harbor Creek catcher Patrick Brennan) called the pitches and I threw hard. I don't really try to aim the ball that much. Hopefully, coach Jordano can help me change that."

It looked as though Thursday's game would be low scoring.

Mattson was among the pitchers who held the opposing offenses without a hit through the first 31/2 innings.

That changed in the bottom of the fourth, when the County sent nine to the plate for its first three runs. Chris Laird, Nick Noe and Drake Burgess each singled ahead of the big hit, a two-run single by Joe Karpenko of Corry.

The City got on the board with its first run in the top of the fifth and then took a 4-3 advantage in the sixth. Aaron Haas of Mercyhurst Prep drove in the tying and go-ahead run when he grounded a double down the third-base line.

However, the County's deficit didn't last long. The team took advantage of a bad inning for McDowell pitcher Cody Ballay, who walked four batters and hit a fifth, to send 10 batters to the plate.

The County only recorded one hit, but it was a major one. Seneca graduate Seth Magee cleared the bases with a three-run double to left-center field that made it 8-4.

"I faced Cody in the past through (American Legion) ball," Magee said. "I knew with the first pitch, he usually comes with a fastball. He gave me the fastball and then a curve. I thought he was going to try to pitch me inside again, and I was looking for that pitch when I turned on it. I was glad I got it."

The County tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh to clinch a win for the third straight season. That matches the team's longest victory streak in the series, which it first achieved from 1975-77.

MIKE COPPER can be reached at 870-1614 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNcopper. Read the Varsity blog at www.GoErie.com/blogs/Varsity and post comments.

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