MARION CENTER – Chad Zurat fired a three-hitter at Young Township and Justin Hoffman paced a 13-hit attack with four singles and four runs batted in as Clearfield rolled past the Indiana County League team 14-1 in five innings on the Marion Center diamond Saturday afternoon.
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The American Legion Post 6 Chiefs were headed for a sweep of the inter-league twinbill with a 3-0 lead against Marion Center when rain and lightning forced the game to be suspended in the bottom of the fifth inning.
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Clearfield’s hectic upcoming schedule prior to the July 9 start of the Jefferson County League Playoffs, including two wood bat tournaments, may prevent that game from being resumed or replayed, depending on which league’s rules are used.
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Manager Sid Lansberry’s Chiefs remained in second place in the JCL at 8-2 by making Young Township their third consecutive inter-league victim.
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Zurat, who struck out six and walked three, breezed to his third win after wriggling off the hook in the first inning when the first five Renegades reached base.
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Leadoff batter Nathan Stiles, who walked and advanced to second on Ryan Held’s single, was cut down at the plate on Ryan McGonigle’s single to right, the relay going from Justin Hoffman to first baseman Corey Bookhamer to catcher Justyn Knepp.
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After Ben Weimer and Ryan Coulter singled to produce a run and fill the bases, Zurat picked up a key strikeout before inducing a grounder for the final out.
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Then, he whiffed three Renegades in the second inning and held them hitless the rest of the Mercy Rule-shortened game.
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Clearfield (9-2) had struck for three unearned runs in the top of the first, Hoffman and Zurat singling for RBIs and Bookhamer adding an RBI-groundout.
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They came right back with three in the second on Kyle Timchak’s bases-loaded groundout and run-scoring hits by Hoffman and Bookhamer.
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Five hits, four walks and two Young Township errors added up to eight runs for Clearfield in the fourth. Walks to Knepp, Shane Harper and Jarrett Fulmer forced in runs before Hoffman rapped a two-run single.
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Bookhamer and Knepp had two hits apiece for the Chiefs, who begin a very busy week with a trip to Brookville Monday for a 6 p.m. JCL game.
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Tuesday is the only day off before they welcome Punxsutawney to the Bison Sports Complex Wednesday and travel to Reynoldsville Thursday in JCL action.
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Then, as one of the host teams for the Bellefonte Wood Bat Tournament, Clearfield will play Bradford County at 9 a.m. and Kiski at 1:30 p.m. Friday and Mr. Dirt of Towanda at 12:30 p.m. and the Southern Tier Stars of New York at 5:30 Saturday, all games at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park Field.
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The Chiefs will visit Homer City for another inter-league game Sunday and go to DuBois next Monday for their ninth game in eight days.
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Jefferson County League – DuBois 9-0, Clearfield 8-2, Punxsutawney 7-2, Reynoldsville 2-10, Brookville 1-8.
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CLEARFIELD — 14
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Jarrett Fulmer 2b-ss 1301, Steve Miller ph 1000, Kyle Timchak lf-cf 5101, Justin Hoffman 4244, Derek Danver ss-c 3211, Chad Zurat p 4111, Corey Bookhamer 1b 3122, Kyler Kephart 2b 1010, Tyler Jacobson 3b 2100, Luke Peterson 3b 1000, Justyn Knepp c 2121, Ronny Ogden lf 1000, Shane Harper cf 1211, Derrick Snyder 1b 1010. TOTALS: 30 14 13 12.
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YOUNG TOWNSHIP – 1
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Nathan Stiles cf 1000, Matt Spranza ph 1000, Ryan Held lf-p-rf 2110, Andy Anderson ph 1000, Ryan McGonigle ss 3010, Ben Weimer 3b 1000, Ryan Coulter rf-p-2b 2011, Cody Galo c 2000, Mike Bier p 1000, Zach Long lf 1000, Cory Reilly 2b-p 1000, Caleb Kilgore 1b 0000, Angie Pompillio dh 2000.
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Score by Innings
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Clearfield          330 80 – 14 13 1
Young Township 100 00 –   1   3 4
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Errors – Peterson; Weimer, Coulter, Bier, Kilgore. DP – Young Township 1 (Reilly and Kilgore). LOB – Clearfield 8; Young Township 5. 2B – Danver, Bookhamer.
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Pitching
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Clearfield – Zurat 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K.
Young Township – Bier 1-1/3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Held 1-2/3 IP (faced 4 batters in 4th), 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Coulter 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 0 K; Reilly 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
HB – Bier 1 (Fulmer). WP – Zurat 1; Bier 2, Held 2.
W – Zurat (3-0). L – Bier.
