HYDE – Central Mountain spoiled Senior Day for the Clearfield Area High School softball team with a 9-2 win in non-league action at the Bison Sports Complex Monday.
Lady Wildcats Taylor Lesser and Brittany Kunes shut out the Lady Bisons until the seventh inning, when sophomore Suzie Colesar slugged her first career home run to right center and freshman Mia Keener singled and scored on classmate Andrea Butler\’s liner to center.
\”We started all of our seniors, and they did pretty good as long as they were in there,\” Clearfield coach Bob Dixon said.
Honored during pre-game ceremonies were Kaitlin Adamson, Megan Butler, Julie Colesar, Carrie Harbold, LauraJean Hill, Courtney Morgan and Sophie Reed.
Julie Colesar accounted for two of Clearfield\’s five hits.
\”I think we were a little bit off our game,\” Dixon said. \”We did hit the ball well the last inning, but it was a little too late.\”
The Lady Bisons managed only two singles in the five innings Lesser was in the circle. She struck out five and walked two in a performance similar to her complete-game, two-hit 6-0 win over Clearfield on April 25.
Central Mountain, which is on its way to shattering many school offensive records, had 11 safeties off Andrea Butler but led only 2-0 until bunching five hits for five runs in the fifth inning.
Kunes cracked a two-run homer in the seventh.
Tierra Miller belted three hits, two of them doubles, and drove in three runs, while Megan Rupert singled three times and Heidi Shoemaker added two hits and two runs.
Those three and fellow seniors Lesser, Sara Hawksworth and Ashlyn Rickert also were recognized in the pre-game ceremonies.
\”They\’re a good ball club,\” Dixon said. \”They\’ve got some good ball players, and their coach does a nice job with them.\”
The Lady Wildcats are 12-5 and seeded No. 3 for the District 6 Class AAAA Playoffs.
All of their losses are to premier District 6 teams. Bellefonte is the No. 2 seed in Class AAA, while Philipsburg-Osceola, Bald Eagle Area and Penns Valley are the top three seeds in Class AA.
The Lady Bisons (3-11) continue their busy week of five games in six days with a trip to Bradford Tuesday and a home date with Brookville Wednesday, both District 9 Northern Allegany League Big School Division games.
CENTRAL MOUNTAIN — 9
Taylor Lesser p-3b 3210, Sara Hawksworth cf 2000, Heidi Shoemaker 1b 4222, Tierra Miller c 4133, Megan Rupert ss 4230, Hannah Shady 3b 1000, Brittany Kunes 3b-p 2112, Ashlyn Rickert rf 3000, Marisol Rhine rf 0000, Cierra Peters lf 3012, Valarie Shawley 2b 1000, Kaylin Smith ph-2b 2100. TOTALS: 29 9 11 9.
CLEARFIELD — 2
Andrea Butler p 4011, Courtney Morgan 2b 4000, Megan Butler ss-3b 3000, Julie Colesar 1b 3020, Laura Jean Hill lf 1000, Suzie Colesar ph-lf 2111, Carrie Harbold rf 0000, Mia Keener ph-rf 2110, Chantel Read c 2000, Kaitlin Adamson 3b 0000, Melinda Owens ph-ss 2000, Sophie Reed cf 1000, Janell Zalno ph-cf 2000. TOTALS: 26 2 5 2.
Score by Innings
Central Mountain 101 050 2 – 9 11 0
Clearfield 000 000 2 – 2 5 2
Errors – Owens 2. DP – Clearfield 1 (M. Butler and J. Colesar). LOB – Central Mountain 6; Clearfield 6. 2B – Miller 2. HR – Kunes; S. Colesar (1). Sac – Hawksworth, Peters. SB – Shoemaker, Rupert. CS – Rickert (by Read).
Pitching
Central Mountain – Lesser 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; Kunes 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.
Clearfield – A. Butler 7 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 5 Bb, 4 K.
WP – Lesser 1.
W – Lesser (9-4). L – A. Butler (3-8).
Umpires – Gary Miller (plate); Jeff Aveni (bases).
