HYDE – Because he had to plug so many holes from a senior-dominated 2009 squad, coach Sid Lansberry didn’t set any lofty goals for his 39th Clearfield Area High School baseball team.
Now, pleasantly surprised by a 9-9 regular season, he’s hoping the Bisons can make some noise in the post-season.
What he knows for sure is that the Bisons must be at their very best throughout every game, beginning with nemesis Punxsutawney, also 9-9, in Wednesday’s 4:30 p.m. District 9 Class AAA semifinal at the Bison Sports Complex.
Clearfield gained the home field advantage because of a better record at the time the pairings were made.
Punxsy has reigned as district champion every year since Clearfield last won the title in 2003.
In three of the last four years, the Chucks bounced the Bisons out of the playoffs in the 9-AAA finals, including 9-5 a year ago.
With No. 1 seed St. Marys (10-7) awaiting the winner, No. 2 seed Clearfield will have to turn in two championship-style performances to advance to the state tournament.
Making all the plays behind their pitchers and capitalizing on almost every scoring opportunity will be tantamount.
“Playing solid defense, in my mind, is most important,” Lansberry said. “We can’t give anything away. That’s for sure.
“We’ve been able to come from behind in several games, and we have to keep that in mind even if we get behind early. I think the kids have the confidence they can come back because they’ve done that.”
Clutch hitting was crucial in dramatic, late-inning wins over State College, DuBois, Punxsy and Hollidaysburg that gave the Bisons a 5-1 start.
A four-game losing streak ensued before they negotiated a roller-coaster second half to finish with the .500 record and winning logs in their final season in two leagues, 6-3 in the second-year District 9 Northern Allegany League Big School Division and 4-3 in the storied Central Penn League, one of the oldest in the state.
In contrast, the Chucks stumbled out of the gate, winning only three of their first 10 games, before shifting into high gear down the stretch. They closed the regular season by outscoring Smethport, Altoona, DuBois Central and Curwensville 44-9 in the final week.
“We got ’em early in the season,” Lansberry said. “It was one of the big ones we had where we came from behind, but they’ve been playing better.
The teams traded home victories in their two meetings.
On April 14, Clearfield trailed 4-0, 6-4 and, with two outs in the eighth inning, 8-7 before ending the classic with a run on Derek Danver’s single in the bottom of the ninth. Andrew Redden slugged two home runs for five RBIs while Jarrett Fulmer and Justin Hoffman had three singles apiece and Danver and Matt Lonjin joined Redden in the two-hit column.
Chad Zurat held the Chucks to four hits and one run over the last four innings. He struck out seven.
That left Punxsy 2-2 going into a rare nine-game homestand, in which they won only one of the next six games.
The Chucks, who had 14 hits in the loss, got even on May 10 at Rich Kuntz Memorial Field. Ace Braedon Pennington struck out 12 and walked none in six innings, giving up seven hits and one earned run, for a 10-3 win. Joe Pisano struck out the side in the seventh. Dane Kopas had four hits and three RBIs, while Pennington and Kyle Neal added two hits apiece.
As far as pitching, Clearfield doesn’t enter the playoffs in the best of shape.
No. 1 starter Trevor Flanagan, 2-3 with a 6.97 earned run average for 33-1/3 innings, hasn’t thrown since the second Punxsy game when he was touched up for seven hits and six runs, five earned, in two innings. He’s been sidelined with a pinched nerve in his back.
Jacobson, the No. 2 starter who kept the Bisons in the first game with 3-2/3 good innings of relief work, has been bothered by a bruised knee the last week. He’s 1-3 with a 9.35 ERA in 20-2/3 innings.
“We’re hoping Tyler can play, but we don’t know if he’ll be able to pitch,” Lansberry said. “Trevor won’t be back until after this week.”
That leaves the task up to Zurat and Company.
Zurat, a relief specialist, boasts a 5-0 record in nine outings. In his only start, he fanned 12, walked one and surrendered nine hits in a 10-5 win over Brookville last week.
The only other Bison hurler with more than one appearance is freshman Kurtis Krise (1-1, 7.36 ERA), who started at Punxsy at home.
Redden, sporting a .459 average, leads the team in almost every offensive category. The junior first baseman had 28 hits, including five home runs, two triples and four doubles, and 20 RBIs. He has 10 multi-hit games.
Outfielder-DH Garrett Samsel is next at .448 with 13 hits and 11 RBIS.
Four other regulars are above .300, helping the team carry a .319 average.
Hoffman (.355) will be in right, Danver (.333) at short, Fulmer (.327) at second and Zurat (.317) in center if Jacobson is able to start on the bump.
Lonjin (.273) will be behind the plate, with Jacobson (.250) or utilityman Luke Peterson at third if Zurat starts, and Shane Harper in left or center.
Lansberry expects Punxsy coach Paul Hetrick to hand the ball to Pennington again.
The senior left-hander is 3-2 in eight appearances, all but one in a starting role. His 3.69 ERA is deceiving because he was charged with 18 earned runs for his first 20 innings of the season. In his last three starts, Pennington has given up just one earned run over 16 innings.
He has struck out 59 batters and walked only 11.
“He had a couple of rough outings earlier, but he’s come on pretty strong,” Lansberry said. “I’m not sure he’ll pitch, but I’m assuming he will.”
Behind Pennington are Pisano, 2-0 with a 5.82 ERA in nine appearances, four of them as a starter, and Dylan Kachmar, 2-3 with a 9.98 ERA in nine outings. The latter, who has battled injuries, is coming off back-to-back solid relief efforts that lowered his ERA more than five points.
The Chucks have pounded opposing hurlers for a .370 average, led by Pennington’s .547 with 35 hits and catcher Jordan Mesoraco’s .518 on 29 hits. Pennington has four homers, a triple and nine doubles. Mesoraco has eight two-baggers.
Third baseman Tyler Wingard is hitting at a .405 clip with a team-high five homers, while second baseman Kyle Neal is at .384, first baseman Tyler Skerkavich at .383, shortstop Zak Dickey at .346, center fielder Dane Kopas at .333 with eight doubles and right fielder Kachmar at .250.
Outfielder Devan Neal (.353) and DH Dom Bevak (.235) also could be in the starting lineup.
Punxsy’s RBI leaders are Pennington with 22, Mesoraco and Skerkavich with 15 apiece, Wingard with 14, Dickey with 13, Bevak with 11 and Kopas and Kyle Neal with 10 each.
“I think they have a great hitting lineup, with speed and power,” Lansberry proclaimed.
