BROOKVILLE – The scholastic softball post-season is just around the corner, and the Clearfield Lady Bisons appear to be peaking at just the right time.
Pitcher Mandy Rowles missed a perfect game by one pitch, the Lady Bisons were flawless in the field and amassed 16 hits against nemesis Leah Dietrich to roll past Brookville 9-0 at Northside Field Thursday afternoon.
\”They played a really good game,\” Clearfield coach Bob Dixon said. \”We changed up our practice up a little bit (Wednesday) night. We asked them for 15 minutes of no-nonsense, all business softball. We told them, \’Work hard, and we\’ll give you five minutes, and then back out again. We did that three times for defense and once for hitting.
\”They were on top of their game. Our fielding was fantastic, nothing even close to an error. And they really tagged the ball. We had some balls hit that would have been home runs if we had been at home.\”
Rowles and Dietrich were locked in a scoreless duel through three innings, though Clearfield had stranded five runners.
The Lady Bisons broke on top in the fourth when Alyssa Anderson singled, Kenzie McGovern sacrificed and Courtney Morgan singled for what was the game-winning hit. Alanna Luzier followed with a triple to make it 2-0.
In the fifth, Ashley Lias singled, advanced on one of Clearfield\’s five steals and scored on a single by Anderson.
\”We were really trying to run the bases hard tonight,\” Dixon said.
Clearfield salted away its 11th win in 15 games with a six-run salvo in the sixth.
Carrie Harbold ignited the rally with her third hit of the game and raced home on Luzier\’s second triple.
Megan Butler singled for an RBI, stole second and was driven in by Lias. Rowles followed with a booming double to center field for an RBI, and Julie Colesar changed places with her by doubling to right center. McGovern then lined a triple down the left field line for the final run.
\”Kenzie deserved that, because she stroked the ball really well two other times, and both were outs,\” Dixon said. \”That one might have been a home run at Clearfield. Butler and Rowles also might have had home runs at our field.\”
Rowles struck out eight in shutting out the Lady Raiders (6-8) for the second time in eight days.
\”She had really good command of her pitches,\” Dixon said. \”Her fastball was moving. She was working the riser. Her curve was working. She only threw one or two pitches in the dirt. She looked really good.\”
Dixon second-guessed himself for calling the fifth-inning, 0-2 pitch that catcher Courtney Keth rapped to left center for Brookville\’s lone hit.
\”We had thrown her a high fastball and an inside curve,\” he said. \”I went with a changeup outside and low.
\”Hey, I was trying to mix it up. It was working, and I thought we\’d fool her. We didn\’t. She stayed back on it and hit it pretty good.
\”Maybe if I had called another fastball, Mandy might have had a perfect game. I take the blame for that.\”
Dixon is hoping the Lady Bisons remain on the upswing next week with tough games at home against once-beaten DuBois Monday and Punxsutawney Wednesday and a road test against surging State College Friday.
DuBois boasts one of the top pitchers in the region in Leah Wallock, 12-1 after two wins this week, including a 2-0 shutout of defending state Class AA champion Philipsburg-Osceola. She\’s allowed only two runs in 82 innings and has nine shutouts and combined on two others.
CLEARFIELD — 9
Alanna Luzier 2b 5132, Megan Butler 3b 5121, Ashley Lias ss 4211, Mandy Rowles p 4121, Julie Colesar 1b 4121, Alyssa Anderson cf 4111, Kenzie McGovern 3011, Courtney Morgan lf 4011, Carrie Harbold dp 4230, Suzie Colesar (flex) rf 0000. TOTALS: 37 9 16 9.
BROOKVILLE — 0
Amanda Liebman ss 3000, Samantha Rackovan 3b 3000, Leah Dietrich p 3000, Courtney Keth c 3010, Shannon Shaffer 1b 2000, Hines rf 2000, Maria Fulmer lf 2000, Lindsay McManigle 2b 2000, Brittany Dietrich cf 2000. TOTALS: 22 0 1 0.
Runs by Innings
Clearfield 000 216 0 – 9 16 0
Brookville 000 000 0 – 0 1 2
Errors – Liebman, Rackovan. LOB – Clearfield 8; Brookville 1. 2B – Rowles, J. Colesar 2; Keth. 3B – Luzier 2, McGovern. Sac – McGovern. SB – Luzier, Butler, Lias, Morgan, Harbold.
Pitching
Clearfield – Rowles 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K.
Brookville – L. Dietrich 7 IP, 16 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
W – Rowles (11-4). L – L. Dietrich (6-8).
