HYDE – The Clearfield Chiefs averted a short stay in the 2010 Jefferson County Legion League Playoffs and earned a rematch with Punxsutawney in the elimination bracket final by raining hits all over the Bison Sports Complex to defeat Brookville 15-7 Sunday evening.
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Because of Friday’s rainout, they’ll be making the trip to Punxsy’s Rich Kuntz Field for the third time in four days Monday with a berth in Wednesday’s championship game at DuBois on the line.
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Regular season kingpin DuBois (18-2) rolled past Punxsy 13-1 in the winner’s bracket final Sunday.
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Bouncing back from an 11-8 loss to Punxsy (17-8) Saturday, Clearfield (17-12) backed pitcher Chad Zurat’s complete game with an 18-hit attack highlighted by designated hitter Kyle Timchak’s five consecutive singles and shortstop Derek Danver’s four-for-four performance.
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They drove in two runs apiece, while Andrew Redden contributed three hits and three RBIs and Justin Hoffman added two hits and three RBIs.
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Zurat had control problems early but settled down to keep the visitors under control except for a three-run homer by Brock Bietz in the seventh inning.
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The Chiefs’ right-hander, unbeaten in five decisions, issued nine walks, but only one after the third inning.
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He racked up a career-high 13 strikeouts and gave up eight hits, five coming in the last three frames.
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Bietz chopped Clearfield’s lead to 9-6 with his two-out blast over the left field fence set up by a walk and Jared Heschke’s infield single.
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After Zurat set Brookville down in order for the fourth time in the eighth, the Chiefs put it out of reach with a six-run salvo.
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Zurat triggered the rally with a double to left center and scored when Derrick Snyder’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away at first.
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One out later, pinch-hitter Steve Miller battled Garret Weaver for a nine-pitch walk and Timchak singled for an RBI. With the bases loaded, Danver smoked a double into the left field corner for two runs and Redden ripped a single past short for two more tallies.
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Clearfield had scored in each of the first four innings to build a 6-3 lead and widened the gap with three runs in the sixth on hits by Danver, Redden and Hoffman and a throwing error on Zurat’s bunt.
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The visitors led briefly on two occasions, 2-1 after Zurat walked five batters in a row in the second inning and 3-2 on Dakota Singleton’s RBI-single in the third.
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Bietz had three hits and four RBIs while Heschke, the losing hurler, singled twice for Brookville, which ended the season with a 7-16 record.
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BROOKVILLE — 7
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Dustin Dombrowski ss 4001, Ryan Zimmerman 2b 0000, Pat Brush pr-2b 1001, Jordan Matthews pr-2b 1100, Brandon Brownlee lf 0000, Nathan St. Laurent lf 1000, Ethan Harmon dh 3010, Jared Heschke p-rf 5220, Zane Hackett 1b 5010, Brock Bietz cf 5234, Anthony Black 3b 2100, Nathan Bonfardine 3b 2000, Tyler Dombrowski rf-p 1100, Garret Weaver p 1000, Dakota Singleton c 2011, C.J. Bietz ph 1000. TOTALS: 34 7 8 7.
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CLEARFIELD — 15
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Jarrett Fulmer 2b 3211, Derek Danver ss 4442, Andrew Redden c 5133, Justin Hoffman rf 4123, Chad Zurat p 4111, Ronny Ogden ph 1000, Kyler Kephart 1b 3000, Derrick Snyder ph-1b 2100, Tyler Jacobson 3b 5110, Troy Danver lf 3210, Steve Miller ph 0000, Shane Harper cf 0000, Kyle Timchak dh 5252. TOTALS: 39 15 18 12.
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Score by Innings
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Brookville 021 000 301 – 7  8 3
Clearfield 111 303 06x – 15 18 1
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Errors – Heschke, Weaver 2; Jacobson. DP – Brookville 1 (B. Bietz and Singleton). LOB – Brookville 9; Clearfield 12. 2B – D. Danver, Zurat, Timchak. HR – B. Bietz. SB – Singleton. Sac – D. Danver, Hoffman, Snyder T. Danver. SF – Fulmer. CS – Harmon (by Zurat).
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Pitching
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Brookville – Heschke 6 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 3 K; Weaver 1-2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 0 K; T. Dombrowski 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.
Clearfield – Zurat 7 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 13 K.
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WP – Heschke 1; Zurat 1.
W – Zurat (5-0). L – Heschke.
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Umpires – Ray Swackhammer (plate); Gary Barr (bases).
