CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield Legion Chiefs continue to be rude hosts for their annual Independence Day Baseball Invitational.
The Post 6 team amassed 33 hits and got quality pitching in defeating the Bradford Legion 15-2 and the Clearfield Babe Ruth League All-Stars 12-3 Sunday at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park Field to reign as champions for the fourth year in a row.
The Chiefs\’ toughest game in the four-team, round-robin tourney was Saturday\’s 6-2 win over Laurel Eye Clinic of Brookville.
\”I thought we played well in all three games,\” said Clearfield Legion skipper Sid Lansberry, who also is manager of the Clearfield BRL Stars.
The three-game statistics suggest that was an understatement.
The Chiefs sprayed 44 hits around their home away from home (Bison Sports Complex) for a .436 batting average. Their five pitchers combined for 27 strikeouts and a 3.00 earned run average, allowing only 12 hits and eight walks in 21 innings. And they were charged with just one error.
Parker Herrington got the nod for the pivotal duel with Bradford, which had won two games Saturday, and he responded by holding the hard-hitting Elk County League team to three hits and two runs in six innings. Michael Moyer pitched a hitless, scoreless seventh, just as he did in relief of Corey Bookhamer Saturday.
\”Herrington pitched a great game today, and Bookie pitched an outstanding game yesterday against Brookville,\” Lansberry said. \”Those could have been complete games, but we wanted Moyer to get in there and get some work.\”
Seldom-used Aaron Sayers no-hit the Clearfield BRL All-Stars for three innings, striking out three and walking one, before Kyle Timchak went to the mound for the first time this season and earned the victory. His four-inning totals showed two strikeouts, one walk, seven hits and the three runs.
James Zimmermann was five-for-five against Bradford and led the Sunday hit parade with seven safeties.
Justin Hoffman was right behind with six, while Adam Jury, Parker Herrington and Kyle Kline belted four apiece.
The Chiefs (12-10) scored in every inning against Bradford (16-6) with Zimmerman driving in three runs, Timchak matching that total with a bases-loaded double to cap the six-run seventh inning, Bookhamer clubbing a crucial two-run homer in the second inning, Kline hammering a pair of RBI-doubles and Jury whacking a solo home run.
Against the Clearfield BRL All-Stars, the Clearfield Legion rolled to an 8-0 lead after three innings and reached double figures in the sixth inning, when Jury smashed his fourth home run of the season, a three-run blast to deep left field.
Hoffman was four-for-four and Herrington three-for-three. Kline drove in two runs again.
Isaac Butler had two hits, one a double, and Curtis Frye and Matt Lonjin also doubled for the All-Stars, who lost 12-5 to Laurel Eye Clinic in the first game of the triple-header.
Butler had two of the All-Stars five hits in that tilt, which was in doubt until the Brookville Legion team posted five runs in the sixth inning for its lone win in the tourney.
Ethan Gillespie, the second of four Clearfield BRL pitchers, wound up the loser despite giving up only one run in two innings.
C.J. Bietz held the All-Stars hitless and surrendered one unearned run over the final 3-2/3 innings to pick up the win.
Bietz also had a pair of RBI-singles. Nick Bishop, Dustin Dombrowski, Garret Spence, Jared Heschke and Brandon Brownlee chipped in two hits apiece.
The Clearfield BRL All-Stars finished 0-3, but Lansberry noted, \”It\’s good experience playing against real good competition, older kids, and there were some bright spots,\” Lansberry said. We\’ll see next weekend whether it helped out or not.
\”That\’s basically why we have the tournament, to get more playing time for these younger kids and for the Legion team to play some non-league games.\”
The third-place Chiefs face four Jefferson County League opponents this week, hosting DuBois Monday and Reynoldsville Thursday and going on the road to play Punxsutawney Wednesday and Curwensville Saturday.
The Clearfield Babe Ruth League All-Stars head to Coudersport Friday for the four-team, double-elimination District 8 Tournament. They take on State College in the tourney opener at 2 p.m.
CLEARFIELD BABE RUTH LEAGUE ALL-STARS — 5
Jason Bowman cf 2100, Isaac Butler 1b 2120, Derek Danver ss 2000, Trevor Flanagan eh 4100, Robert Lombardo lf 2110, Drew Brown lf 1000, Shane Harper rf 1011, Andrew Redden p-rf 2000, Curtis Frye p 0001, Ethan Gillespie p-rf-3b 2000, Tyler Jacobson 3b-p 1001, Tyler Knepp 3b 0100, Luke Peterson 2b 2000, Matt Lonjin c 2010. TOTALS: 23 5 5 3.
LAUREL EYE CLINIC (BROOKVILLE LEGION) — 12
Cayliff Worling cf 4210, Nick Bishop 2b 3221, Dustin Dombrowski ss 3221, Garrett Spence p-1b 2121, Jared Heschke 3b 4221, Dakota Singleton c 4210, C.J. Bietz 1b-p 2122, Brandon Brownlee lf 2020, Chris Gerg rf 2002, Brock Bietz eh 4001. TOTALS: 30 12 14 9.
Score by Innings
Clearfield BRL All-Stars 301 001 0 – 5 5 3
Laurel Eye Clinic 113 115 x – 12 14 2
Errors – Danver, Knepp, Lonjin; Heschke 2. PB – Lonjin 3. DP – Clearfield 2 (Bowman, Peterson and Lonjin; Jacobson, Lonjin and Peterson). LOB – Clearfield BRL All-Stars 11; Laurel Eye Clinic 11. 2B – Spence. 3B – Worling, Dombrowski. Sac – Danver, Harper, Frye, Lonjin; Brownlee. SF – Frye, Jacobson. SB – Bowman; Worling 2, Bishop, Dombrowski.
Pitching
Clearfield BRL All-Stars – Frye 2+ IP (faced 2 batters in 3rd), 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 K; Gillespie 2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K; Redden 1+ IP (faced four batters in 6th), 2 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 1 K; Jacobson 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.
Laurel Eye Clinic – Spence 3-1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 2 K; C.J. Bietz 3-2/3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.
WP – Frye 2, Redden 2, Jacobson 1; Bietz 1.
W – Bietz. L – Gillespie.
Umpires – Mark Michelucci (home plate); Joe Shick (bases).
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CLEARFIELD LEGION — 15
Adam Jury ss 4321, Parker Herrington p 4210, Michael Moyer p 0000, James Zimmermann 2b 5353, Kyle Kline 3b 5222, Aaron Sayers rf 2211, Justin Hoffman lf 5120, David Ryan cf 0101, Tanner St. Clair dh 4011, Corey Bookhamer 1b 3113, Kyle Timchak ph 1013, Wil Bacharach c 3000, Derek Danver ph 1000, Matt Lonjin ph-c 1000. TOTALS: 38 15 16 14.
BRADFORD LEGION — 2
Chris Krajewski 1b 3000, Josh Lightner ph 1000, Mike Pascarella 3b 3000, Brandon Slater ss 3010, Ryan LaBrozzi c 3110, Nick Foster cf 1000, Cory Viola p-lf 3100, Lou Jones 2b 3011, Kevin Pautler lf-rf-p 2000, Dan McCracken ph 1000, Evan Kline rf-p-rf 2000. TOTALS: 25 2 3 1.
Score by Innings
Clearfield Legion 122 112 6 – 15 16 1
Bradford Legion 010 001 0 – 2 3 4
Errors – K. Kline; Krajewski, Slater, Viola, Pautler. PB – Bacharach 2. LOB – Clearfield 9; Bradford 7. 2B – Jury, Herrington, Zimmermann, K. Kline 2, Hoffman, Timchak. HR – Jury (3), Bookhamer (2). SF – Sayers. SB – Hoffman; Jones 2.
Pitching
Clearfield Legion – Herrington 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K; Moyer 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.
Bradford Legion – Viola 4+ IP (faced 1 batter in 5th), 8 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K; E. Kline 2-1/3 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Pautler 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
HB – Viola 1 (Jury). WP – Herrington 3, Moyer 1; E. Kline 1.
W – Herrington (3-4). L – Viola.
Umpires – Lee Krull (home plate); Mark Michelucci (bases).
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CLEARFIELD BABE RUTH LEAGUE ALL-STARS – 3
Bowman p-cf-rf 3000, Butler 2b-1b 3021, Danver ss 3000, Harper cf-p-cf 2010, Redden cf 1110, Flanagan eh 3110, Frye 1b 2010, Lombardo lf 1000, Gillespie rf-3b 1000, Jacobson 3b 0000, Knepp 3b-p 30001, Brown lf 2000, Peterson 2b 1000, Lonjin c 2110. TOTALS: 27 3 7 2.
CLEARFIELD LEGION — 12
Jury ss 3223, Herrington rf 3231, St. Clair rf 2010, Zimmermann 2b 4121, K. Kline 3b 4022, Sayers p 2010, Timchak p 2000, Hoffman lf 4241, Bookhamer 1b 2110, Moyer 1b 2000, Ryan cf 2100, Bacharach c 4311. TOTALS: 34 12 17 9.
Score by Innings
Clearfield BRL All-Stars 000 100 2 – 3 7 3
Clearfield Legion 233 004 x – 12 17 0
Errors – Bowman 2, Redden. DP – Clearfield Legion 1 (Jury, Zimmermann and Bookhamer). LOB – Clearfield BRL All-Stars 5; Clearfield Legion 10. 2B – Butler, Frye, Lonjin; Zimmermann, Hoffman. HR – Jury (4). Sac – Zimmermann, Ryan. SF – K. Kline.
Pitching
Clearfield BRL All-Stars – Bowman 2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K; Harper 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K; Knepp 3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
Clearfield Legion – Sayers 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K; Timchak 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.
WP – Timchak 2. Balk – Knepp 1.
W – Timchak (1-0). L – Bowman.
Umpires – Jim McKee (home plate), Lee Krull (bases).
