HYDE – DuBois scored eight unearned runs in the third inning to spoil the Clearfield Area High School softball team\’s home opener 10-1 in the first game of the newly-formed District 9 Northern Allegany Big School League Tuesday at the Bison Sports Complex.
The final score belied an otherwise encouraging performance by the youthful Lady Bisons in a game that also counted in the first-year Central Penn League.
\”I think they had a real good effort and a real good attitude,\” Lady Bison coach Bob Dixon said. \”We had a few changes, and they came out and played hard.\”
With two-year starter and three-year letterwinner Mandy Rowles no longer on the team because of personal issues, Dixon sent Andrea Butler into the circle and brought up Melinda Owens from the junior varsity to replace her at shortstop.
They were two of four freshmen in the lineup, joined by shortstop B.J. Bowman and catcher McKenzie Moore.
And junior Chantel Read, a transfer from Curwensville, got her first start at third base with senior Megan Butler absent because of another school function.
\”Megan won a business award last year and she did it again this year, so we\’re might proud of her. She\’s a good student. We need that, too.\”
Lindsey Obremski singled home Kirsten Wilcox to put DuBois in front in the second inning.
In the next frame, a dropped pop-up opened the door for the Lady Beavers, and they cashed in with a two-run single by Wilcox and a three-run double to deep left field by Brianna Sayers highlighting the outburst.
Butler, who should have escaped with no runs and down only 1-0, recovered nicely to retire eight batters in a row before Lorianne Barbey\’s wicked line drive caromed off her right knee, ending her varsity debut with one out in the sixth inning.
\”The inning they scored those runs, I think she lost her location a lot,\” Dixon said. \”She kept getting the ball up. That\’s something she\’s going to work on. Hopefully, down the road, we won\’t have that problem again.
\”But she\’s a freshman. She hung there. She battled. She did a nice job.\”
Bowman relieved and gave up a run-scoring single through the right side by Wilcox, but she set down five of the six batters she faced, including the last four on strikes.
\”B.J. didn\’t want to pitch (this season), but when Butler was injured, there was nothing else we could do,\” Dixon explained, noting that sophomore hurler Katie Bowman is sidelined with a shoulder problem. \”We had nobody else. B.J. came in and did very well.\”
Bowman had to work an extra inning because she drilled a triple down the left field line for her first varsity hit and scored Clearfield\’s first run in two games on Julie Colesar\’s hard grounder to short, averting a Mercy Rule finish after DuBois went up 10-0.
Owens also responded with her first varsity hit, a ringing double to right center in the first inning, and followed up with an infield single.
\”We had a lot of firsts tonight,\” Dixon said. \”We made a lot of changes, and you\’re probably gong to see more new faces throughout the next few games. We\’re trying to feel our way through this right now.\”
Suzie Colesar also had two hits for the Lady Bisons, who made much more contact than they did in a 9-0 loss at State College last week.
\”We were a lot more aggressive at the plate,\” Dixon said. \”We didn\’t tear the cover off the ball, but we went up and swung the bat and hit the ball. Just not quite well enough yet, but we\’re gonna get there. We have some real good sticks.
\”It\’s early. We\’ll be all right. This is a really good group of kids. They play hard. They know it takes work to get better.
\”We want to play our best ball at the end of the season. It\’s coming. We\’ll be there.\”
Barbey and Wilcox led DuBois with three hits apiece. Obremski and Morgan Hanna chipped in with two apiece.
Carly Wallock blanked the Lady Bisons through four innings for the victory, striking out four and walking none.
Brit Krise gave up the lone hit by Bowman and struck out three in three innings for the save.
Clearfield has two more CPL home games this week, Wednesday against Hollidaysburg and Friday against Altoona.
DUBOIS — 10
Alysha Lange cf 5110, Morgan Hanna 2b 4121, Jess Vizza 2b 0000, Lorianne Barbey c 3110, Meghan Brown ss 4231, Carly Wallock p-lf 3000, Ange Castellani ph-rf 1000, Kirsten Wilcox 3b 4233, Lindsey Obremski 1b 4121, Kailyn Angel lf 110, Brit Krise p 1000, Brianna Sayers dp 2113, Kista Tangren (flex) rf-dp 2000, Katie Hryn (flex) rf-lf 0000. TOTALS: 34 10 13 9.
CLEARFIELD — 1
Janell Zalno lf 4000, Melinda Owens ss 4020, B.J. Bowman cf-p 3110, Julie Colesar 1b 3001, Suzie Colesar rf 3020,Carrie Harbold dp 1000, Mariah Dunsmore ph 0000, Courtney Morgan 2b 3000, Chantel Read 3b 3000, Andrea Butler p 2000, Sophia Reed cf 1000, McKenzie Moore (flex) c 0000. TOTALS: 27 1 5 1.
Score by Innings
DuBois 018 001 0 – 10 13 3
Clearfield 000 001 0 – 1 5 2
Errors – Brown, Wilcox 2; Bowman, Morgan. PB – Moore 3. LOB – DuBois 7, Clearfield 6. 2B – Sayers; Owens. 3B – B.J. Bowman. Sac – Angelo; Harbold.
Pitching
DuBois – Wallock 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K; Krise 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.
Clearfield – A. Butler 5-1/3 IP, 12 H, 10 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; B.J. Bowman 1-2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.
HB – Krise (Dunsmore). WP – Krise 1; A. Butler 3.
W – Wallock (1-1). L – A. Butler (0-1).
Umpires – Joe Shick (plate); Garry Shirey (bases).
