HYDE – One team had an eight day layoff, the other seven days. Even so, both squads did well in returning to the diamond after several days of rainouts.
However, when the dust settled the Curwensville Lady Tide softball squad conquered the very game Clearfield Lady Bisons Friday afternoon at the Bison Sports Complex, 5-0.
The Tide hadn’t played since last Thursday (April 16), while the Bisons hadn’t taken the field since last Friday (April 17).
It was Holly Lansberry throwing her eight straight shutout of the 2009 season giving her and the Lady Tide each a perfect 8-0 mark for the year. The Tide senior hurler also whiffed 12 to bring her season total to 98 in 44 innings pitched.
Although Clearfield dropped to 1-5 on the year coach Bob Dixon was proud of his young squad, and especially the two freshman pitchers that took the circle against a veteran Tide team, “B. J.(Bowman) and Andrea (Butler) did very well today. What I was really impressed and pleased with was how they kept battling. They just didn’t give up and showed some good poise for freshmen.”
Bowman made her first start of the year for Clearfield and certainly held her own in limiting the Tide to just one hit in four innings before leaving the circle with a an injured pitching hand. The Bison freshman’s only problem was control early on as she walked three and hit two batters in the first two innings before settling in.
The Tide picked up the game\’s first runs in the top of the second without getting a hit as Jenessa Stiles was hit by a pitch followed by consecutive walks to Stacey Johnson and Sara Clark. Stiles and Johnson would later score providing the Lady Tide with all the runs they would need.
Curwensville coach Allen Leigey talked about the rivalry, “This is the toughest game of the year for us, every year, no matter what their record is. That‘s just the way it is with Clearfield, Curwensville. We’re just happy that today we came out on the winning side.”
Lady Bison Megan Butler broke up Lansberry’s bid for a no-hitter with a lead off double in the bottom of the fifth. It was one of only two hits the Clearfield girls could muster against the Tide ace. The other was a seventh inning single by Bowman. It was the first time this year that Lansberry gave up more than one hit in any game.
Curwensville would pick up single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to seal the win.
Lansberry paced all batters with two hits, one being a double, and now needs just one more hit to reach the magic number of 100 for her career. Tide shortstop Shannon McDonald is also one hit away from 100.
Ashley Demchak, Tide catcher, was held hitless for the first time all season but did pick up an RBI along with teammates McDonald, Erin Bressler, and Jenessa Stiles.
Coach Dixon put things in perspective afterwards, “We’re a pretty young team so this was a good outing for us against a solid team. We are getting better and we do keep improving.”
The Clearfield team travels to Central Mountain Saturday for a noon contest.
Leigey also added, “I was pleased that we stayed mentally focused after the long lay off, although we were somewhat anxious at the plate for some reason. But all in all we did what we had to do to get the win.”
Curwensville is back in action on Monday when they travel to Ridgway to battle the Lady Elkers at 4:00 pm. The Tide defeated Ridgway earlier this year, 10-0 in a District 9 Northern Allegany League Small School Division Southern Tier game.
CURWENSVILLE – 5 Holly Lansberry p 3020, Lindsay Barrett cr 0000, Tess Bloom cf 3110, Shannon McDonald ss 4001, Ashley Demchak c 3001, Jenessa Stiles 3b 3111, Stacey Johnson 1b 3210, Sara Clark lf 2000, Jenae Stiles dp 3010, Erin Bressler 3111, Morgan Peterman flex/2b 0000. TOTALS – 27 5 7 4
CLEARFIELD – 0 Janel Zalno cf/lf 3000, Melinda Owens 2b/ss 3000, B. J. Bowman p/cf 3010, Julie Colesar 1b 3000, Megan Butler 3b 3010, Suzie Colesar lf/rf 3000, Chantelle Read c 2000, Courtney Morgan rf/2b 1000, Andrea Butler ss/p 2000. TOTALS – 23 0 2 0
SCORE BY INNINGS R H E
CURWENSVILLE 020 011 1 5 7 0
CLEARFIELD 000 000 0 0 2 1
ERRORS – A Butler. LOB – CURWENSVILLE – 7 CLEARFIELD – 3. 2B – M Butler, Lansberry. SB – Barrett, Jenessa Stiles. SAC – McDonald. HBP – Lansberry (by Bowman), Jenessa Stiles (by Bowman)
PITCHING
CURWENSVILLE – Lansberry 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K
CLEARFIELD – Bowman 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 0 K, 2 HB A. Butler 3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
WP – Lansberry (8-0) LP – Bowman (0-1)