PUNXSUTAWNEY – The top five batters in the Clearfield lineup combined for 11 hits, nine runs and eight runs batted in while Michael Moyer pitched a complete game as the Chiefs surprised second-place Punxsutawney 12-5 in their Jefferson County Legion League Playoffs opener at Rich Kuntz Memorial Field Wednesday evening.
James Zimmermann and Justin Hoffman cracked three hits apiece, Adam Jury and Derek Danver each had two and Jarrin Campman added one to go with three runs scored. Zimmerman also scored three times.
Jury slugged his sixth home run of the season and drove in four runs, and Hoffman had three RBIs.
\”We hit the ball well and we played really good defense,\” Chiefs manager Sid Lansberry said. \”Zimmermann and Jury made some really good plays on hard-hit balls in the middle of the infield.\”
Moyer\’s route-going effort was highlighted by 11 strikeouts. He walked only two and gave up seven hits.
\”That\’s the first time I know of that he pitched nine innings, and it was a tough day to pitch, 92 degrees and humid,\” Lansberry said. \”That was a pretty gutsy performance against a good hitting team. He threw only 113 pitches, and that\’s not bad at all with all those strikeouts. I was real pleased.\”
Clearfield (16-12) never trailed, tallying three runs in the second inning and scoring in five more frames.
Derek Danver doubled, moved up a base on Parker Herrington\’s sacrifice bunt and opened the first run on a wild pitch by loser Tommy Bush. Jarrin Campman singled home Aaron Sayers, who also doubled, and the third run resulted from a Punxsy error.
Small ball gave the Chiefs a run in the third. After Hoffman singled and Danver walked, Herrington sacrificed again before Kyle Kline executed a suicide squeeze with the first of his two bunts.
\”Four sacrifice bunts is a lot in one game,\” Lansberry noted.
Clearfield widened its lead to 8-1 with pairs of runs in the fourth and sixth, when Jury homered after Zimmermann singled.
Two of Punxsy\’s seven miscues led to three runs in the seventh, Jury knocking in a pair with a single.
An RBI-grounded by Hoffman, his second of the game, accounted for the final marker in the ninth.
Leadoff batter Dave Kopas was the only Punxsy hitter who gave Moyer much trouble. He singled three times and drove in one run.
Clearfield will go on the road again Friday to take on regular season champion DuBois in the winner\’s bracket final. DuBois (15-3) held off Brookville 8-5 Wednesday.
Punxsy (15-6) will host Brookville in the loser\’s bracket semifinal.
CLEARFIELD — 12
Jarrin Campman cf 4311, James Zimmermann 2b 5330, Adam Jury ss 6124, Justin Hoffman rf 6133, Derek Danver 3b 5120, Parker Herrington lf 3010, Kyle Kline 1b 3001, Michael Moyer p 0000, Aaron Sayers dh 3110, Corey Bookhamer dh 2100, Matt Lonjin c 3100, Wil Bacharach c 1000. TOTALS: 41 12 13 9.
PUNXSUTAWNEY — 5
Dave Kopas rf 5131, Nick Gillung cf 5110, Zach Smith 2b 5111, Tommy Bush p-3b 2001, Dylan Kachmar 3b 0000, Tyler Wingard dh 2000, Sean Smith 1b 2000, Jacob Stumpf 1b-p 4000, Chad Davis ss 4010, Zach Martin c 3100, Kyle Neal ph 0100, Nick Pascuzzo lf 3000, Tyler Grayson ph 1010. TOTALS: 36 5 7 3.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 031 202 301 – 12 13 3
Punxsutawney 001 002 011 – 5 7 7
Errors – Herrington, Kline, Lonjin; Kopas, Gillung, Smith, Bush, Kachmar, Davis 2. PB – Lonjin. LOB – Clearfield 11; Punxsutawney 5. 2B – Zimmerman, Danver, Sayers; Smith. HR – Jury (6). Sac – Herrington 2, Kline 2. SF – Bush. SB – Smith.
Pitching
Clearfield – Moyer 9 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 11 K.
Punxsutawney – Bush 4 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K; Stumpf 5 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.
HB – Bush 1 (Zimmermann), Stumpf 1 (Campman). WP – Bush.
W – Moyer (6-1). L – Bush.
