Published: April 25, 2008 11:57 pm         

Central beats Bishop Walsh 14-13

Derek Ebersole doubled home the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth and Scott Hamilton pitched a scoreless bottom half as Central beat Bishop Walsh in a 14-13 marathon on the opening day of the Dean Patterson Curve Classic at Blair County Ballpark.

The two teams combined for 27 runs and 32 hits, and also 13 errors, in a game late lasted four hours and included a rain delay.

Central, of Martinsburg, Pa., led 6-0 after 1 1/2 innings but Bishop Walsh, the designated home team, chipped away and took a 7-6 lead after four-run fifth.

Tied 7-7 after six innings, both teams scored twice in the seventh, and both scored four times in the eighth.

“We started the game flat, but kept chipping away at them,’’ said BW coach Sam Torres. “I was proud of the way our kids hung in there.”

Down 9-7 in the bottom of the seventh, Eric Diamond walked and Payne Turner singled. After a double steal, Diamond scored on a John Cullen fielder’s choice, and Ray Miller slapped a two-out single on a 1-2 pitch to plate Turner with to tie it.

After Central (7-7), a Pennsylvania Class AAA team that dressed 39 players for the game, scored four times in the top of the eighth, the Spartans (6-9) answered with four in their half.

Aaron O’Rourke and Zac Hare singled, Chandler Tomlinson hit an RBI double and Diamond followed with a two-run double to make it 13-12. Diamond stole third base and scored on an RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Tyler Smearman.

Turner finished with three singles and three RBIs, Diamond had a double, single and three RBIs, Tomlinson hit a double, single and three RBIs, and Hare, O’Rourke and Miller had two singles for BW.

Central, which led in hits 18-14, was led by Jim Saylor with a triple and two singles and Ebersole with a double and two singles.

The Spartans will play a 12:30 consolation game today against the loser of last night’s late game between Punxsutawney and Altoona.