HYDE – A brilliant pitching performance by Clearfield American Legion Post No. 6 right-hander Michael Moyer against Punxsutawney was rewarded when Tanner St. Clair and Corey Bookhamer came through with two-run safeties in the sixth inning for a 4-0 Jefferson County League win at the Bison Sports Complex Wednesday evening.
Kyle Neal\’s one-out liner to center in the third inning was the only hit off Moyer, who struck out 10 and retired four batters on comebackers to hand the visitors their third loss in 10 games.
It also was one of only two balls to reach the outfield grass, the other landing in shortstop Kyle Kline\’s glove on a dandy over-the-shoulder grab that took a hit away from Zach Martin in the seventh inning. Ten Punxsy outs were the result of ground balls that Moyer and his infield mates handled.
\”Moyer pitched one heck of a game against a pretty good team,\” manager Sid Lansberry said after the Chiefs upped their record to 6-4 in the JCL and 6-5 for the season.\”
Moyer caught three of his strikeout victims looking, while four others chased pitches out of the strike zone and had to be thrown out by catcher Matt Lonjin.
\”Matt said Moyer\’s slider and cut fastball were working, and he had a pretty decent fastball, too,\” Lansberry said. \”Matt did a good job behind the plate, too, on balls in the dirt that he blocked and got outs at first.\”
Loser Sean Smith matched Moyer\’s shutout effort through five and two-thirds innings of the fast-paced game that ended in 1:29.
He just missed getting out of the sixth-inning jam, too.
Smith was working on a three-hitter when Jarrin Campman led off by lining an 0-2 pitch to center. Parker Herrington, after failing to lay down a bunt, ricocheted a single off the Punxsy hurler\’s glove.
Smith induced Kline to ground into a force at second and Derek Danver, who had two singles, to pop up, but he walked Aaron Sayers on four pitches.
Clearfield\’s two clutch hits ensued. St. Clair, in a 1-2 hole, rolled a grounder that snuck through the left side for two runs when Kline, running from second, screened Punxsy shortstop Chad Davis.
Two pitches later, Bookhamer doubled the margin by scorching a liner that hooked under first baseman Martin\’s glove and rolled all the way to the right field fence for a two-bagger.
\”Tanner came through with two strikes,\” Lansberry said. \”It was a seeing-eye hit, but it was a hit. And Bookie\’s hit was important, making it 4-0 instead of 2-0.
\”You have to give Smith credit. He pitched a good game, too. He was within one pitch of getting out of that inning, or it would have been a scoreless tie going into the seventh.
\”That\’s a good win for us.\”
The Chiefs, who nipped Punxsy 7-6 in the second game of the season, will step outside the JCL for four home games this weekend in the Bellefonte Showdown XXVI, a Mid-Atlantic Wooden Bat Summer Showcase 19-and-Under Division tourney.
They are scheduled to play at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 Friday and Saturday at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park Field.
PUNXSUTAWNEY — 0
Austin Furman lf 2000, Chad Davis ss 3000, Nick Gillung cf 3000, Tommy Bush 3b 2000, Zach Martin 1b 3000, Dakota Bish c 3000, Dave Kachmar rf 2000, Chase Tibbs rf 0000, Sean Smith p 2000, Kyle Neal 2b 2010. TOTALS: 22 0 1 0.
CLEARFIELD — 4
Jarrin Campman cf 3110, Parker Herrington 2b 3010, Kyle Kline 3100, Derek Danver 3b 3020, Aaron Sayers rf 2100, Tanner St. Clair lf 3112, Corey Bookhamer 1b 2022, Michael Moyer p 1000, Matt Lonjin c 0000, Wil Bacharach dh 3000. TOTALS: 23 4 7 4.
Score by Innings
Punxsutawney 000 000 0 – 0 1 1
Clearfield 000 004 x – 4 7 0
Error – Bush. DP – Punxsutawney 1 (Bish, Martin and Davis). LOB – Punxsutawney 3; Clearfield 5. 2B – Bookhamer. Sac – Bookhamer, Moyer. SB – Campman.
Pitching
Punxsutawney – Smith 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.
Clearfield – Moyer 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K.
W – Moyer (3-1). L – Smith.
Umpires – Garry Shirey (home plate); Mike Skraba (bases).
