Punxsutawney Edges Clearfield 3-1 for D9-AAA Softball Crown

BROCKWAY – Junior pitcher Angie Burke continued her hex on the Clearfield Area High School softball team, and third-seeded Punxsutanwey scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to edge the defending champion Lady Bisons 3-1 in the District 9 Class AAA title game at the Brockway Area High School Field Wednesday afternoon.
 
Burke spun a three-hitter with seven strikeouts in beating the top-seeded Lady Bisons for the third time this season. She also fired a three-hitter in a 5-1 win on April 8 and hurled a five-hitter in a 3-2 victory on May 14.
 
\”She threw a good game,\” Clearfield coach Bob Dixon conceded. \”She kept us off balance. We just didn\’t hit her at all.
 
\”When you don\’t hit, you\’ve gotta make sure you field a hundred percent, and we had a couple errors.\”
 
Two of the Lady Chucks\’ runs were earned, making Mandy Rowles a tough-luck loser. She allowed eight singles, three coming in Punxsy\’s winning rally, and also struck out seven.
 
\”Mandy definitely didn\’t deserve this outcome,\” Dixon said. \”She threw a really good game.\”
 
Rowles also played very well in the field, throwing out five runners in the first four innings. She kept the fast-moving game scoreless in the fourth when she knocked down Tina Elgin\’s comebacker, froze Lady Chuck Kelsey McFarland at third base and got the out at first.
 
That play loomed large when Clearfield got on the scoreboard in the lower fourth.
 
Megan Butler led off with a sharp single through the circle for the first hit off of Burke. After Ashley Lias sacrificed, two wild pitches gave the Lady Bisons a 1-0 lead.
 
They weren\’t able to hold it very long, though.
 
Amber Lellock, leading off the fifth, hustled into second base when her fly ball to right was misplayed. Pinch-runner Ashley Barenchik moved to third on Angie Laska\’s infield single and scored the tying run on Burke\’s looping single behind third base.
 
The Lady Bisons posed their only other threat in the sixth when Alanna Luzier belted a one-out double to deep center and Lias bounced a one-hopper off third baseman Sarah Depp\’s glove to put runners at the corners with two outs. Rowles followed with one of Clearfield\’s hardest shots, but Lellock tracked it down in right center.
 
Then, Lellock started the seventh-inning rally with a single to center. Hannah Neal failed to bunt but grounded out to advance Lellock to second. She came around with the winning run when Laska\’s ground single through the left side was misplayed.
 
One out later, Burke rapped a single into left field for the insurance run to cap a three-hit, two-RBI day.
 
Punxsy\’s lone miscue gave the Lady Bisons life with one out in the bottom of the frame, but Burke got the next two batters to hit the ball on the ground for outs.
 
Clearfield had not played since May 15, but Dixon didn\’t think that was a factor.
 
\”We gave \’em a few days off, but we worked hard,\” he said. \”We had Larry Conklin come in and throw to us every night.\”
 
The Lady Chucks had played only one game in the last two weeks, beating No. 2 seed Bradford 7-0 in the 9-AAA semi.
 
Clearfield finished 11-7 and will lose catcher Kenzie McGovern, second baseman Alanna Luzier, shortstop Ashley Lias and center fielder Alyssa Anderson to graduation.
 
\”My seniors did a great job,\” Dixon said. \”They played hard all year. I couldn\’t ask for more from them.
 
\”They\’re gonna be really missed, but our program now is to the point where we\’ll be able to load up again next year. I expect us to be back here again with what we\’ve got coming back and what we have coming up. I think we\’ll be fine.\”
 
The Lady Bisons, who reigned in 2007 on Rowles\’ 4-0 shutout, and the Lady Chucks have alternated as 9-AAA champions the last four years.
 
Punxsutawney (14-6) will play the District 7 (WPIAL) champion Monday in the first round of the PIAA Playoffs. Ellwood City (18-1) and Belle Vernon (15-7) meet in the title game Thursday night.
 
PUNXSUTAWNEY — 3
 
Angie Burke p 4032, Kelsey McFarland 2b 4010, Allie Miller cf 3000, Tina Elgin 1b 3010, Sara Ruehle c 3000, Amber Lellock rf 3110, Ashley Barenchik pr 0100, Ashley Spack dp 2000, Hannah Neal ph 1000, Angie Laska ss 3120, Megan Kauffman lf 2000, Jenna Reitz ph 1000, Sarah Depp 3b 1000.  TOTALS: 24 3 8 2.
 
CLEARFIELD — 1
 
Alanna Luzier 2b 3010, Megan Butler 3b 3110, Ashley Lias ss 2010, Mandy Rowles p 3000, Julie Colesar 1b 3000, Alyssa Anderson cf 3000, Kenzie McGovern c 3000, Suzie Colesar rf 3000, Carrie Harbold dp 2000, Sarah Kovalick lf 0000.  TOTALS: 25 1 3 0.
 
Score by Innings
 
Punxsutawney   000 010 2 – 3 8 1
Clearfield          000 100 0 – 1 3 2
 
Errors – Laska; S. Colesar, Kovalick. PB – McGovern 1. LOB – Punxsutawney 5; Clearfield 4. 2B – Luzier. Sac – Lias. SB – Burke, Laska.
 
Pitching
 
Punxsutawney – Burke 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K.
Clearfield – Rowles 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K.
WP – Burke 3; Rowles 2.
W – Burke (5-4). L – Rowles (11-7).
 
Umpires – Ron Caskey (home plate), Neil McIssac (first base), Jim Thomas (second base), Rob Burr (third base).
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