CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield Legion baseball team tumbled to 11-7 Saturday with a pair of losses in Bellefonte Wood Bat Tournament second-day action at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park Field.
Lack of clutch hits in the early innings proved costly against Towanda-based MR Dirt, which opened a commanding 7-1 lead with five unearned runs and went on to defeat the Chiefs 9-1 in a game halted in the bottom of the sixth because of the tourney’s 8-run Mercy Rule.
Later, Matt Fowler’s tie-breaking three-run homer in the sixth inning was the difference as the Southern Tier Stars of New York came from behind to sting the Post 6 club 6-3.
Manager Sid Lansberry’s Chiefs had their opportunities against MR Dirt, a traveling team of players from Bradford, Susquehanna and Tioga counties who opened their schedule with a 3-1 record in a tourney at Harrisburg the last weekend.
A walk and one-out singles by Corey Bookhamer and Derek Danver produced a first-inning run, but MR Dirt starter Anthony Carr prevented further damage with two strikeouts.
With the teams knotted 1-1 in the second, Clearfield was poised to regain the lead with two runners in scoring position via a walk, Ronny Ogden’s single and Shane Harper’s sacrifice. However, Carr again logged a key strikeout and then was bailed out by Graeme Zaparzynski, who raced toward the left field corner to rob Jarrett Fulmer of extra bases with a diving, backhanded catch.
MR Dirt went up 4-1 with three tainted tallies in the lower second, Tyler Huffman pounding a run-scoring double to deep left before Joe Champluvier rolled a single through the left side for two RBIs.
After Clearfield stranded two more runners in the third, the Dirtbags salted away the victory with three more runs, two of them earned. Zaparzynski and D.J. Kelleher, the PIAA District 4 Northern Tier League Player of the Year for Athens, had RBI-hits.
Nate Bennett, Zaparzynski, Pete Champluvier and Joe Champluvier, who drove in three runs, had two hits apiece for the Dirtbags.
Zaparzynski also pitched two scoreless innings to preserve the win for Carr, who had to be lifted in the fifth after leadoff batter Fulmer’s hard shot nailed him above the right ankle.
Bookhamer had two of Clearfield’s eight hits.
Ogden hurled a complete game, striking out three and giving up 11 hits and three walks in his first legion start. Only four of MR Dirt’s runs were earned.
Derrick Snyder also went the distance in the nightcap, protecting a 3-2 lead in the sixth when singles by Jeff DeVlieger, Kyle Morse and Alex Blakely tied the score before Fowler untied it.
Tyler Leichtenberger then recorded the last six outs to save the win for Hank Morrison. They limited the Chiefs to four hits and combined for seven strikeouts.
Danver’s two-run homer following a leadoff walk to Fulmer in the fourth inning was Clearfield’s first hit and made it a 2-2 game.
A walk and singles by pinch-hitter Steve Miller and Ogden put the Chiefs on top in the fifth.
Snyder surrendered 11 hits and five earned runs. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.
DeVlieger, Blakely and Kody Hoth each had two hits for the Southern Tier Stars.
Clearfield, which finished 1-3 in the tourney, will go to Homer City Sunday for a 2 p.m. interleague game with the Indiana County League team and travel again Monday to test Jefferson County leader DuBois at 6 p.m. at Showers Field.
CLEARFIELD LEGION — 1
Jarrett Fulmer 2b 2110, Justin Hoffman rf 1000, Steve Miller eh 2010, Corey Bookhamer 1b-rf-lf 3020, Derek Danver 2b 3011, Kyle Timchak lf-rf 3010, Derrick Snyder eh-1b 2000, Andrew Redden 1b 1000, Tyler Jacobson 3b 1000, Ronny Ogden p 3010, Shane Harper cf 1010, Troy Danver c 2000. TOTALS: 24 1 8 1.
MR DIRT — 9
Nate Bennett ss 2220, Evan Perry 2b 2000, Caleb Sheldon c 3101, Korey Foster 3b 3000, Graeme Zaparzynski lf-p 3221, Pete Champluvier eh 3121, Anthony Carr p 0000, Kurtis Mallow lf 0000, D.J. Kelleher dh 3111, Holden Lunger eh 2110, Tyler Huffman 1b 2111, Joe Champluvier cf 3023, Corey Peterson rf 2000. TOTALS: 28 9 11 8.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 100 000 – 1 8 2
MR Dirt 133 011 – 9 11 0
Errors – Jacobson, Harper. LOB – Clearfield 9; MR Dirt 7. 2B – Lunger, Huffman. Sac – Huffman; Harper. SB – Bennett 3, Sheldon, Zaparzynski, J. Champluvier.
Pitching
Clearfield – Ogden 5.1 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.
MR Dirt – Carr 4 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; Zaparzynski 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
WP – Ogden 3. Balks – Ogden 2.
W – Carr. L – Ogden (0-1).
Umpires – Jim McKee (plate); Donny Colwell (bases).
* * * * *
SOUTHERN TIER STARS — 6
Kody Hoth 3b 3121, Hank Morrison p-lf 4010, Brandon Schott cf 3011, Dan Burns 1b 3000, Jeff DeVlieger c 3120, Kyle Morse 2b 3110, Alex Blakeley rf 3221, Matt Fowler ss 3113, Tyler Leichtenberger lf-p 3010. TOTALS: 27 6 11 6.
CLEARFIELD LEGION — 3
Fulmer ss 1100, D. Danver 2b 3112, Bookhamer 1b 3000, Redden c 3010, Timchak rf 3000, Jacobson 3b 2100, Snyder p 2000, Miller ph 1010, Harper cf 3000, Ogden eh 2011, T. Danver lf 2000. TOTALS: 25 3 4 3.
Score by Innings
Southern Tier Stars 110 004 0 – 6 11 3
Clearfield Legion 000 210 0 – 3 4 2
Errors – Schott, Burns, Morse; Jacobson 2. DP – Clearfield 2 (Danver, Fulmer and Bookhamer; Harper and Fulmer). LOB – Southern Tier Stars 3; Clearfield 5. HR – Fowler; Danver (1).
Pitching
Southern Tier Stars – Morrison 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K; Leichtenberger 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.
Clearfield – Snyder 7 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.
W – Morrison. L – Snyder (0-2). Save – Leichtenberger.
