CLEARFIELD – Parker Herrington’s sparkling pitching and Kyle Timchak’s three-run double were the keys as the Clearfield Legion defeated Kiski 4-2 at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park Field Friday afternoon to salvage a split on the first day of the Bellefonte Wood Bat Tournament.
In morning action, the Chiefs managed only two singles in a 5-1 loss to Bradford County, a combination of players from several teams in that area.
Herrington, home on break after his first year at the U.S. Air Force Academy where he was a placekicker on the junior varsity football team, proved to be a savior for the thin Clearfield pitching staff.
The hard-throwing right-hander, who had not picked up a ball since May of 2009, turned in his best effort ever in a Chiefs uniform with an impressive three-hitter highlighted by 13 strikeouts.
He walked only two batters and hit one, the latter converted into Kiski’s second run when losing pitcher Eric Weyandt doubled up the left center alley to chase home Cody Thompson from first base in the sixth inning.
Kiski (14-6-1) also scored in the fourth on Eric Steininger’s single, a sacrifice bunt, a wild pitch and Matt McCutcheon’s sacrifice fly.
Aided by two errors, the Chiefs tallied all of their runs in the third frame off the curveballing Weyandt, who notched eight strikeouts with no walks.
The rally began innocently enough when Jarrett Fulmer blooper behind short fell for a hit. A miscue on Justin Hoffman’s slow grounder past the mound and Corey Bookhamer’s single that second baseman Bob Nies dove to keep from reaching right field left the bases filled with Chiefs.
Another misplay on Derek Danver’s sharp one-hopper to the left side made it 1-0 with the sacks still jammed.
With all three runners in motion on a 3-2 count, Timchak lofted a fly toward left center that kept drifting away from center fielder Zach Vogel, who just missed making a spectacular diving catch. He got his glove on the ball but couldn’t maintain possession, giving Timchak the two-bagger and three RBIs.
Bookhamer accounted for three of Clearfield’s eight hits.
Herrington was backed by solid defense, Bookhamer discouraging Kiski from running by throwing out Weyandt on a steal attempt after he walked to lead off the bottom of the first inning and second baseman Danver ranging back to dive for Zach Komoroski’s looper in the fifth.
Earlier, four Bradford County hurlers combined to strike out nine Chiefs, whose lone safeties were Jarrett Fulmer’s first-inning pop fly that fell between three fielders in short right center and Wes McGarry’s fourth-inning grounder up the middle, Clearfield’s lone hard-hit ball of the game.
The Chiefs had their share of runners via seven walks and one hit batsman but had one erased on a doubleplay and stranded eight.
Their run resulted from Bradford County’s lone misplay in the sixth. Bookhamer advanced up when Derek Danver was plunked and McGarry bounced into a forceout and scored as McGarry broke early with Steve Miller at the plate and got hung up between first and second.
McGarry, a tourney pick-up who hadn’t pitched since the end of the Curwensville Area High School team’s season, went the distance, striking out four and walking three.
The left-hander gave up 10 hits, half of them doubles.
Designated-hitter Tom Reese drilled a pair of run-scoring two-baggers, and Scotty Rockwell and Taylor Skerpon added RBI-singles for the winners.
Rockwell, Logan Hitchcock and Ryan Dinger also had two hits apiece.
In the middle game, Kiski blanked Bradford County 3-0 as Frank Brank bested Christian Carr in a duel of four-hitters.
Brank, who struck out seven and walked two, also whacked a solo home run. Thompson and Neal Henry had doubles.
Clearfield (11-5), which had two DPs and got a dandy running catch by right fielder Justin Hoffman on a foul fly near the fence, plays two more tourney games Saturday, 12:30 p.m. against MR Dirt of Towanda and 5:30 against the Southern Tier All-Stars of New York.
The Chiefs will travel to Homer City Sunday for a 2 p.m. interleague duel with the Indiana County League entry and then visit DuBois Monday for a 6 p.m. Jefferson County League game.
BRADFORD COUNTY — 5
Zack Ripic 3b-ss-p 3000, Scotty Rockwell 2b 3121, Logan Hitchcock lf-p-3b 4120, Taylor Skerpon ss-p-ss 4011, Christian Carr cf 4001, Zach Place 1b 4010, Kaleb Route c 3000, Ryan Dinger rf 2220, Mason Root p-lf 0000, Tom Reese dh 3122. TOTALS: 30 5 10 5.
CLEARFIELD LEGION — 1
Jarrett Fulmer ss 1010, Justin Hoffman rf 2000, Andrew Redden c 3000, Corey Bookhamer 1b 2100, Derek Danver eh 2000, Kyle Timchak lf 1000, Ronny Ogden lf 1000, Wes McGarry p 3010, Tyler Jacobson 3b 2000, Steve Miller ph 0000, Luke Peterson 2b 2000, Kyler Kephart ph 0000, Shane Harper cf 2000, Derrick Snyder ph 1000. TOTALS: 21 1 2 0.
Score by Innings
Bradford County 002 011 1 – 5 10 1
Clearfield 000 001 0 – 1 2 3
E – Ripic; Fulmer 3. PB – Redden 1. DP – Bradford County 1 (Root and Place); Clearfield Legion 2 (Fulmer unassisted; Fulmer, Peterson and Bookhamer). LOB – Bradford County 7; Clearfield Legion 8. 2B – Rockwell, Place, Dinger, Reese 2. SB – Rockwell, Skerpon. CS – Ripic (by Redden); McGarry (by Skerpon).
Pitching
Bradford County – Root 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K; Hitchcock 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Skerpon 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; Ripic 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.
Clearfield Legion – McGarry 7 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.
HB – Skerpon 1 (Danver). WP – McGarry 1.
W – Rockwell. L – McGarry (1).
Umpires – Frank Keenan (plate); Richie Alexander (bases).
* * * * *
CLEARFIELD LEGION — 4
Fulmer ss 4110, Hoffman rf 3110, Bookhamer c 3130, Danver 2b 3110, Timchak lf 2013, Kephart 1b 3000, Parker Herrington p 2000, Miller ph 1000, Snyder eh 2000, Ogden ph 1000, Jacobson 3b 3000, Harper cf 3010. TOTALS: 30 4 8 3.
KISKI — 2
Eric Weyandt p 2011, Eric Steininger ss 3120, Frank Brank eh 2000, Matt McCutcheon c 1001, Zack Petro lf 3000, Bob Nies 2b 3000, Zach Komoroski 3b 2000, Aaron Ballish 1b 1000, Neal Henry ph 1000, Zach Vogel cf 1000, Justin Stascak ph 1000, Cody Thompson rf 1100. TOTALS: 21 2 3 2.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 004 000 0 – 4 8 1
Kiski 001 010 0 – 2 3 2
Errors – Herrington; Steininger, Komoroski. LOB – Clearfield 6; Kiski 3. 2B – Hoffman, Timchak, Harper; Weyandt, Steininger. CS – Weyandt (by Bookhamer).Pitching
Clearfield – Herrington 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 13 K.
Kiski – Weyandt 7 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K.
HB – Herrington 1 (Thompson). WP – Herrington 1; Weyandt 1.
W – Herrington (1-0). L – Weyandt.
Umpires – Bill Pringle (plate); Kenny Knepp (bases).
