HYDE – The final regular season game for the Clearfield Area High School softball team was filled with close calls, hard hitting, good pitching, extra innings and a 7-6 victory over Altoona.
The Lady Bisons (9-8) were looking for a tune-up game before next week’s District IX Class AAA Championship with Punxsutawney at DuBois at 4:30. What they found was a way to band together and overcome adversity, a key ingredient Head Coach Bob Dixon has been striving for all season.
“We seem to have always played laid back this season,” said Dixon. “This was the first time we got enthusiastic about a game. They pulled together and got the job done. I hope that will carry over to next week.”
The enthusiasm started for Clearfield in the first inning and may have been fueled by pre-game Senior Night ceremonies. After setting down the Lady Mountain Lions in the top of the first, the hosts came up big in their offensive side of the frame.
Melinda Owens led off with a single to left field. Janell Zalno’s sacrifice bunt attempt was thrown down the right-field line and Owens circled the bases for the game’s first score. With Zalno now at third, B. J. Bowman’s grounder was thrown home too late for a 2-0 lead. Bowman stole second and came home on Suzie Colesar’s base hit. Senior Breanna Blaylock capped the scoring with a two-run homer in her last home game in a Bison uniform.
“The seniors really did a good job tonight,” said Dixon. “I was so happy for Breanna. She has a habit of turning on the ball too much at times and pulling it foul, but she got all of that one.”
Altoona did manage a run in the second when two infield errors put pitcher Kristie Mulhollem in position to score on Summer Feathers’ single with two outs.
Other than the one unearned run, Lady Bisons’ pitcher Heather Picard had the game under control through four innings. Picard struck out six in that stretch en route to 10 K’s for the game. She walked just one batter while surrendering 12 hits, only three through the first four innings.
The margin moved to 6-1 in the third inning for the hosts as Colesar was hit by a pitch to lead things off. Blaylock and Rachel Condon singled consecutively to load the bases with no outs. The Lady Lions thwarted a big inning, however, with a 5-2-3 double play. McKenzie Moore followed that play with a single to score Blaylock with two outs.
Altoona started to make the game interesting in the fifth inning when a dropped third strike resulted in a base runner. Madeline Berry then singled for the visitors and a miscue at first allowed a run to score. Didi Rizzo singled to load the bases for Mulholem to drive the score to 6-4 with a two-run single. Picard closed the door on the inning with three K’s that gave her four for the inning.
The gap closed in the sixth when singles from Fethers and Kim Bumbarger put Altoona into motion again. A passed ball moved them up, and a ground out by Berry plated Feathers. Bumbarger tried to tie the score as the ball skipped past Moore at the catcher’s position. Moore tracked the ball down and flipped it to Picard to preserve the lead at 6-5.
The play at the plate cost Altoona more than the tying run. Bumbarger didn’t agree with the call and took her frustration out on her helmet off the field and was ejected – an ejection that will keep her off the field for a District VI playoff game on Tuesday. To further pour salt into the wound, Altoona was able to tie the score in the top of the seventh on an RBI single from Feathers.
While Picard and the Bisons were having trouble preserving the lead, it was Mulholem whose pitching was stellar. In the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, the Bisons could only manage one base runner. She struck out four (six in the game). Mulholem gave up 12 hits on the day, walked no one and hit a batter.
Two errors in the bottom of the seventh set up Clearfield with no outs. However, Altoona forced the first out at third on a close play. A pop out in foul territory behind third and a fielder’s choice at second ended the threat and the game went to the eighth inning tied 6-6.
Berry gave the visitors hope with a lead off single in the eighth. However, she would be the last Altoona runner of he day as her teammates went down in order behind her.
Mia Keener started the home half of the eighth inning with a single but was erased trying to steal second. Moore then singled and moved to second on a gound out. That set the stage for Owens to drive a 3-1 pitch down the left-field line for a double that won the game at 7-6.
“It was a good way to end the regular season and get ready for the playoffs,” said Dixon. “Punxsy has a good team, but the game has to be played on the field. Hopefully, this will give us momentum to hand out a little payback.”
Blaylock paced the Bisons early, finishing with two hits, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Owens, Colesar, Keener and Moore also contributed two hits each. Rizzo and Feathers belted three hits apiece for Altoona while Berry and Kudlawiec picked up two base hits each.
See photos of the game at: http://www.ladybisonsports.org/lbsSBall052110.html
ALTOONA – 6
Kim Bumbarger cf 3110, Amber Kidd rf 0000, Kristen Kerr ph 1000, Madeline Berry 2b 5121, Brooke Kudlawiec c 5121, Didi Rizzo 3b 5030, Kristie Mulholem p 5112, Kasey Hatch 1b 3000, Taylor Wagner pr 0000, Katie McMillen dp 4000, Kayla Montgomery pr 0100, Marshe Barnes ss 4000, Summer Feathers lf 4132, Tiffany Turner rf/cf (flex)0000, TOTALS: 39 AB 6 R 12 H 6 RBI.
CLEARFIELD – 7
Melinda Owens ss 5121, Janell Zalno lf 3110, B.J. Bowman cf 3110, B.J. Bowman cf 4101, Suzie Colesar 3b 3121, Breanna Blaylock rf 3222, Mikayla Ebeling rf 1000, Rachel Condon 2b 3010, Tristan Lewis 1000, Mia Keener dp 4020, Makenzie Moore c 4121, Lucy Kavolick 1b 4000, Heather Picard p (flex) 0000. TOTALS: 35 AB 7 R 12 H 6 RBI.
Score by Innings – R H E
Altoona 010 031 10 – 6 12 4
Clearfield 501 000 01 – 7 12 6
Errors – Rizzo, Kudlawiec, Barnes, Mullhollem; Colesar 2, Condon, Moore, Kovalick, Butler. PB – Moore 3. WP – Picard 2. LOB – Altoona 11; Clearfield 7. 2B – Owens. HR – Blaylock. SAC – Zalno. SB – Bowman, Keener. HBP – Colesar (by Mulhollem).
Pitching
Altoona – Mulhollem 8 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.
Clearfield – Picard 8 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 10 K.