HYDE – A combination of nervousness and not enough confidence proved too much for the young Clearfield Area High School softball team to overcome in its opener against State College at the Bison Sports Complex Wednesday.
The Bisons, who have six sophomores and a junior in their lineup, hung with the senior-laden Lady Little Lions for five innings before the defending Central Penn League and District 6 Class AAAA champions pulled away to a 10-3 win.
“Even though we have a lot of girls back, I think early in the game a lot of them showed a lot of nerves,” Clearfield coach Bob Dixon said. “We stood and took a lot of pitches. We tried to tell them to be aggressive.
“A lot of times we look really great in practice, but they have to take it out on to the field.”
After falling behind 4-0, with two wild pitches, a passed ball and a two-out error costing them three runs in the first frame, the Lady Bisons made it interesting.
Suzie Colesar, who showed signs of becoming an offensive threat by hitting .400 with five doubles and two home runs in the second half of the 2009 season, picked right up where she left off by drilling a liner over the left field fence leading off the second inning against Lady Little Lion ace Shelby Kline.
“Suzie used to have a habit of coming up on that front foot and using all arms,” Dixon said. “Well, we keep telling her to stay back and get the hips into it. Cause, when she does she’ll launch it.
“She’s just a big girl. And she’s strong. When she hits the ball, it’s hit.”
In the bottom of the third, Colesar belted a sacrifice fly to right for her second RBI to make it a 4-3 contest.
Moments earlier, B.J. Bowman drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Rachel Cordon, who had ripped a double to deep center.
However, singles by Melinda Owens and Cordon went for naught in the fourth inning, and Kline then slammed the door shut on the Lady Bisons, retiring nine of the last 10 batters she faced.
A very effective curve enabled the Lady Little Lion right-hander to rack up 13 strikeouts, whiffing Lady Bisons on called third strikes five times, en route to her four-hit performance.
Pesky leadoff batter Jessi Shisler, who reached base four times, gave Kline an insurance run in the fourth inning by depositing a high fly over the fence.
State College, coached for the fifth year by 1979 Curwensville Area High School graduate Rick Hall, cashed two of Andrea Butler’s seven walks in the sixth when Emilee Eden rammed a single through the left side.
In the final frame, Anna Juska singled home two runs and stole home when Kristen Glantz, aboard on an infield single, deliberately got caught in a rundown.
The speedy Shisler bunted for two hits and scored three runs, but she was thrown out at third base by left fielder Janell Zalno on Juska’s wicked shot off third baseman Mia Keener.
The first four batters in the State College lineup combined for nine of the 12 hits off Butler as well as all six RBIs.
“She seemed to have trouble locating her pitch,” Dixon assessed his sophomore right-hander’s complete game. “We were trying to work outside, but a lot of times she seemed to get the ball out over the plate.
“But she didn’t do a bad job. She kept us in the game ’til the end.
“Until that last couple of innings, it wasn’t that bad of a ball game.”
Dixon sensed his Lady Bisons didn’t believe they could beat the Lady Little Lions.
“I don’t feel they’re a real confident bunch,” he said. “They (State College) were district champs last year, but you can’t go out in those games thinking you’re going to lose. You’ve got to go out there thinking you’re going to beat them, I don’t care who they are. I certainly felt we had a good chance.”
Now, the Lady Bisons need to develop the confidence in themselves that their coach has.
Clearfield will travel to Thursday to take on DuBois for 4:15 p.m. makeup game that counts in both the CPL and District 9 Northern Allegany League Big School Division.
Check out pictures of the game at: http://www.ladybisonsports.org/lbsSBall033110.html
STATE COLLEGE — 10
Jessi Shisler 3331, Anna Juska 2b 3322, Kirsten Glantz ss 3121, Emilee Eden 3b 4022, Haley Brown ph-3b 1000, Shelby Kline p 4000, Carly Reeder rf 4000, Dani Hart cf 0000, Maddie Sherlock c 2010, Lindsey Miller c 1000, Myranda Daye dp 2100, Kelsey Graham lf 3110, Erica Nolan lf 1110, Ana Ross 1b (flex) 0000. TOTALS: 31 10 12 6.
CLEARFIELD — 3
Andrea Butler p 4100, Janell Zalno lf 3000, Breanna Blaylock ph 1000, B.J. Bowman cf 2001, Suzie Colesar 1b 2112, Mia Keener 3b 3000, Melinda Owens 2b 2010, McKenzie Moore c 3000, Lindsey Samsel rf 3000, Rachel Cordon ss 3120. TOTALS: 26 3 4 3.
Score by Innings
State College 310 102 3 – 10 12 2
Clearfield 012 000 0 – 3 4 1
Errors – Juska, Glantz; Cordon; PB – Moore 1. LOB – State College 9; Clearfield 5. 2B – Cordon. HR – Shisler; Colesar (1). Sac – Shisler. SF – Glantz; Bowman. SB – Shisler, Juska, Sherlock, Daye.
Pitching
State College – Kline 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 13 K, 1 BB.
Clearfield – Butler 7 IP, 12 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 4 K, 7 BB.
HB – Kline 1 (Owens). WP – Butler 3.
W – Kline (1-0). L – Butler (0-1).
Umpires – Gary Kost (plate), Garry Shirey (bases).
