PUNXSUTAWNEY -- Last year, John J. Fisher Post No. 52 of Punxsutawney was cruising through the Jefferson County American Legion playoffs as the No. 1 seed.

A clash with Brookville was in line for the championship, and if necessary, a second game would be played later that night if Brookville won Game 1 of the doubleheader.

Eighteen innings later, Brookville won both contests by a combined three runs, and Punxsy was dislodged from its throne atop the county.

Fastforward to 2008, and Punxsy played its way to the No. 2 seed before being upset by Clearfield in the first round July 16, 12-5, after committing six errors.

However, just one week later, everything changed.

Punxsutawney won four straight, outscored its opponents 41-13 and finished its torrid five-day play with a 10-3 victory over Clearfield to win the county championship Wednesday night at Rich Kuntz Memorial Field in Punxsutawney.

"There were some negative feelings after that first game, and as a group, we got together and discussed what our potential was. We needed to start playing as a group and as a team," Punxsy manager Doug Mesoraco said of the July 16 loss. "The pitching came on strong, and we got a lot of two-out hits over the course of the last three to five days. I think the team's ready and peaking at the right time."

Punxsy will now advance to the Western Regional tournament, with a 1 p.m. clash against the Central Penn No. 2 squad scheduled for Saturday. That team is expected to be from Hollidaysburg, Mifflin County or Beach Creek -- a squad from the Lock Haven area.

Nick Gillung was the star of the show, as not only did he earn the win after on the mound, but he drove home five base runners.

Gillung, the No. 1 pitcher from PAHS' state-championship team in 2007, is the elder statesman of Punxsy Senior Legion in his last year of eligibility. After throwing 62 pitches and earning the win over DuBois just a few days prior, Gillung pitched seven innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits and five walks.

"Nick Gillung, who has the most experience on the staff, wanted the ball, and he pitched seven solid innings. And he did it with the bat, too," Mesoraco said. "Nick did the majority of the work, but they worked together as a team once again."

For the most part, it was Punxsy's defense making the plays behind Gillung, and at the plate, getting on base to be driven home by the right-handed batter and left-handed hurler.

With two outs and two on, Gillung started a four-run first inning by ripping a double that scored Zach Smith and Tommy Bush.

Punxsy never trailed, but Clearfield cut the deficit to 6-3 once the bottom of the seven inning arrived.

Gillung answered by starting another four-run inning by jacking a two-run home run which basically put the game out of Clearfield's reach.

Clearfield didn't make things simple for Gillung, as the lefty retired the side just once -- in the sixth inning. But he was constantly working his way out of jams all night -- Clearfield stranded nine runners while he was on the mound.

With the score at 10-3 through seven innings, Bush retired all six batters he faced to close out the contest.

Jacob Stumpf produced two singles and scored a game-high three times out of Punxsy's cleanup spot. He scored the fifth run of the game on an error, was driven home by Gillung's double in the fifth and reach home plate on Gillung's home run.

Austin Furman contributed two singles, two runs and an RBI hit in the first inning.

Tyler Wingard accomplished an RBI single during the seventh inning, and both Smith and Nick Pascuzzo doubled.

Parker Herrington took the loss after giving up five unearned runs through three innings. Corey Bookhammer surrendered four runs during 3 1/3-innnings, and one run scored while Justin Hoffman retired five batters.

The champion from each of the eight regions advances to the state tournament, which starts Aug. 2 in Boyerstown.

Since many of Punxsy Senior Legion's current players have made their way around the region throughout their Junior Legion and high school careers, they know what to expect this weekend.

"We're pretty familiar with everybody that plays in (the Western Regional). The kids are in no way intimidated by anybody at this point," Mesoraco said. "It's just a matter of execution, and I think we're all ready to finish out the summer on a high note."