HYDE – After playing eight games on foreign diamonds, the Clearfield Area High School baseball team responded to its first home appearance of the season with a 14-7 revenge win over cross-county rival DuBois Monday afternoon.
No one seemed happier to be at the Bison Sports Complex than Parker Herrington.
The senior shortstop has been hitting in tough luck with only three singles to show for 21 official at-bats, but he provided an early spark with his bat by blasting the first home run of his varsity career to put the Bisons in front to stay, 6-3, in the second inning.
Later, he was summoned to bail out Trevor Flanagan and got the job done with his arm, escaping a fifth inning jam with a bases-loaded strikeout and going on to save the sophomore right-hander\’s first varsity victory.
\”Parker came in and shut the door,\” coach Sid Lansberry said as he savored Clearfield\’s first win in the District 9 Northern Allegany League Big School Division. \”He was throwing hard.\”
Lansberry made the pitching change after designated hitter Garrett Peterson jerked a two-run double to left field that sliced the Bison lead to 11-7 with two outs in the fifth.
DuBois (7-4), which had been leading the D9NAL at 3-1, would have been much closer had second baseman Jarrin Campman not corralled Jordan LaBue\’s one-hopper for a double play with Herrington making the pivot.
\”That was a hard hit ball,\” Lansberry noted. \”That was a perfect double play ball, but you\’ve still got to execute it.\”
Herrington, who faced one batter in his only other mound appearance, plunked Josh Means in the back with his second offering and walked Tyler Miles to fill the sacks and bring the tying run to the plate.
The right-hander was equal to the task but not before he made it interesting by going to a full count on Derek Clark before fanning him.
Herrington then set down the Beavers in order the last two innings via two strikeouts, three high pop-ups and a grounder for the save.
Flanagan\’s effort in his first varsity start was a pleasant surprise, especially considering the Beavers, coached by former Bison Todd Stiner, have one of the most potent lineups the Bisons will face. Four of their seven hits went for extra bases, including three home runs.
\”I think he did a great job,\” Lansberry said. \”That\’s a lot of pressure there. He gave us a lot more than I thought.\”
Lansberry was hoping for a three-inning stint at the most, and that was iffy when Kasey Clinton hammered a solo homer to deep left and Miles clubbed a towering two-run homer to left center in the top of the second.
However, the Bisons responded with a six-run salvo against Nate Sabados to turn the game around.
RBI-singles by Aaron Sayers, Derek Danver and Campman around a pair of walks knotted the score and set the stage for Herrington, who lashed a line drive over the fence and netting in left for a three-run dinger.
\”That probably was the key blow of the game,\” Lansberry said. \”That brought us back and put us ahead for good.\”
Clearfield, which lost 10-1 at DuBois back on March 31, ballooned the margin to 11-4 in the fourth.
A walk and Kyle Timchak\’s double got the Bisons rolling, and Campman, St. Clair and Corey Bookhamer delivered RBI-singles after Matt Lonjin picked up an RBI with a groundout. St. Clair scored the fifth run on an error.
Sabados triggered the Beavers\’ comeback bid in the fifth with a solo homer to right center.
After Brandon Palumbo dropped down a dandy bunt for a hit and Mario Gregorio lined a single to center, the Bisons pulled off their twinkilling.
Then, Clinton walked for the second time ahead of Peterson\’s two-run double that chased Flanagan.
Herrington entered and restored order.
The Bisons added a pair of runs in the lower fifth, one on Campman\’s sacrifice fly, and another in the sixth on Timchak\’s RBI-single through the right side.
Campman and Herrington had two hits and three RBIs apiece at the top of the order after showing only 10 hits and 5 RBIs in eight games.
Danver and Timchak also had two hits apiece for the Bisons, who totaled 13 hits off three DuBois hurlers and stranded only five runners, just two through five innings.
\”That\’s something different for us,\” Lansberry noted. \”We usually leave about 10 on base. We had clutch hits with guys in scoring position. We haven\’t been getting that.
\”So, it\’s a big win for us.\”
Clearfield, 4-5 with a 1-2 D9NAL record, goes back on the road Wednesday for a league outing against Bradford.
The Bisons will host St. Marys in a D9NAL and Central Penn League make-up Thursday and Hollidaysburg in a non-league game Friday.
DUBOIS — 7
Nate Sabadose p-cf 4111, Shawn LaBorde rf 0000, Brandon Palumbo 2b 4110, Mario Gregorio 4010, Jordan LaBue 3b 3100, Kasey Clinton 1b 2211, Tyler Smith cf 0000, Braden Bish p 0000, Danny Henry p 0000, Garrett Peterson dh 3112, Josh Means ss 2000, Tyler Miles lf 2112, Derek Clark 4f 3010, Matt Zimmerman rf-lf 0000. TOTALS: 27 7 7 6.
CLEARFIELD — 14
Jarrin Campman 2b 3223, Parker Herrington ss-p 3123, Justin Hoffman rf 4110, Wil Beauseigneur rf 0000, Tanner St. Clair lf 2311, Corey Bookhamer 1b 3011, Aaron Sayers cf 4111, Derek Danver 3b-ss 2321, Trevor Flanagan p-3b 0000, Kyle Timchak dh 2221, Matt Lonjin c 3001, Isaac Butler ph 1110. TOTALS: 27 14 13 12.
Score by Innings
DuBois 031 030 0 – 7 7 3
Clearfield 060 521 x – 14 13 1
Errors – Gregorio, Clinton, Clark; T. Flanagan. DP – Clearfield 1 (Campman, Herrington and Bookhamer). LOB – DuBois 5; Clearfield 5. 2B – Peterson; Timchak. HR – Sabados, Clinton, Miles; Herrington. Sac – Bookhamer, Timchak. SF – Campman. SB – Campman, Herrington.
Pitching
DuBois – Sabados 4-2/3 IP, 8 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 4 BB, 1 K; Bish 1-1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R,1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K; Henry 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
Clearfield – T. Flanagan 4-2/3 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K; Herrington 2-1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
HB – Herrington 1 (Means). WP – Sabados 1.
W – T. Flanagan (1-0). Sabados (0-1). Save – Herrington (1).
Umpires – Kenny Knepp (home plate); Jeff Aveni (bases).
