PHILIPSBURG, Pa. The Blanchard Bees fell just short of Centre County League crowns the last two years, but this season was dominant throughout, nailing down the 2026 title with a season-ending 8-0 win Thursday over the Spike Island Pirates.
Kevin Grenninger was the story on the mound, pitching a complete game 2-hit shutout, striking out 11 and walking 2. Peyton Johnson led the Bees at bat with two early homeruns.
Grenninger and Johnson were part of the Bees’ roster in the final game, a star-studded lineup with all either current or former college players, almost all former Central Mountain High School standouts.
Johnson, a former all-conference third baseman at IUP, jump-started the Bees’ offense with homeruns in both the first and third innings. His first inning 2-run dinger gave Blanchard a 2-0 lead and the Bees broke things open with four more in the third; Johnson with a 2-run homer and Cayde McCloskey with an RBI double in the third frame. McCloskey added a solo homerun in the fifth.
The Bees finished with 12 hits, McCloskey leading the way with three, a single, double and homerun. In addition to the two homers and four RBIs from Johnson, player-manager Toner Corl had two singles, Crusen Stover with a single and double. Asher Corl had a double, Jace Seltzer and Tayten Yoder with singles.
For the Bees, with a storied Centre County League history, it was the fifth league crown in the last nine years. After earning the first seed with a number one finish in the regular season, manager Dakota McCloskey’s team downed Milesburg in its first round and Lewistown in the semifinals. The Bees took the championship series from the Pirates, three games to one.
Player-manager Corl said the team’s pitching was outstanding, citing Grenninger and teammate Brady Meyers for their playoff work. He noted the team’s power, averaging three homeruns a game in the final series and hitting close to 50 for the season. He said this year’s squad “put everything together.” He also complimented manager Dakota McCloskey for his efforts with the team in 2026.
B 2 0 4 0 2 0 0 = 8-12-2
P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 0-2-1
