EMPORIUM — Going into the final frame, the Cameron County baseball team had watched their slim advantage on the scoreboard disappear. Port Allegany had put themselves in front one inning earlier and looked to seal their season with a win.

However, with their backs against a wall, the Red Raiders persevered with clutch defense and timely hits, striking a last-second comeback to secure a 5-4 win over their North Allegany League opponents.

CC got on the scoreboard in the first. Ryan Shaffer reached first base due to a Port error before stealing his way to second. Two batters later, Maddox Baughman found contact at the plate good enough for a single and a trip across home plate for Shaffer. While the Gators tacked on a run of their own in the second — Gavin Moses scored on a CC error — the Red Raiders would jump back out in front soon after.

CC put two men on with back-to-back walks, before Baughman once again found contact. Another single to center field once again brought Shaffer in for run No. 2, which was followed by a run-via-balk to give the Red Raiders a two-run lead.

The game was deadlocked for the next two frames until Port found a little luck in the diamond. Putting two men on base with a dropped third strike and subsequent CC error, a single from Levi Howard drove Aiden Bliss and Tyler Fillhart in, tying the game at 3-3. Two batters later and with two outs, Henry Troupe cracked a single to center field which brought in Landon Carlson for the go-ahead run.

Now the Red Raiders were forced to be on the attack. A ground out and double play stunted the Gators momentum, putting the weight of the game onto CC’s bats. While Derek Smith fanned the first batter, the Red Raiders countered with a double from Lathan Reed. Reed made his way to third after a wild pitch and Shaffer then reached first after being hit by a pitch, allowing Jake Narby to take to the plate with two men in scoring position. With two strikes, Narby’s third attempt made contact. Sending a shot into left field, he tallied the walk-off, game-winning single that drove in Reed.

Baughman went 2-for-4 with a game-high three RBIs while Shaffer went 1-for-2 with three runs scored. For Port, Bliss ended 1-for-2 with one run and both Howard finished 1-for-3 with two runs batted in.

Despite the outcome of the game, both teams have made it to their respective postseasons. In the District 9 Class A bracket, No. 5 CC will face No. 4 Union/A-C Valley on Tuesday, May 21 at 4:30 p.m.. Port, the No. 6 seed in Class 2A, will face No. 3 Clarion-Limestone on the same day at a yet-to-be-decided time.

AT EMPORIUM

R H E

Port Allegany 001 003 0 5 6 2

Cameron County 102 000 2 4 4 2

Port: Smith (4 SO, 2 BB) and Bliss

CC: Farabaugh (7 SO, 3 BB), Shaffer (5) (4 SO, 1 BB) and Baughman