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.
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.
Regular season kingpin DuBois (18-2) rolled past Punxsy 13-1 in the winner’s bracket final Sunday.
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.
They drove in two runs apiece, while Andrew Redden contributed three hits and three RBIs and Justin Hoffman added two hits and three RBIs.
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.
The Chiefs’ right-hander, unbeaten in five decisions, issued nine walks, but only one after the third inning.
He racked up a career-high 13 strikeouts and gave up eight hits, five coming in the last three frames.
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.
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.
Zurat triggered the rally with a double to left center and scored when Derrick Snyder’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away at first.
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.
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.
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.
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.
BROOKVILLE — 7
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.
CLEARFIELD — 15
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.
Score by Innings
Brookville 021 000 301 – 7 8 3
Clearfield 111 303 06x – 15 18 1
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).
Pitching
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.
WP – Heschke 1; Zurat 1.
W – Zurat (5-0). L – Heschke.
Umpires – Ray Swackhammer (plate); Gary Barr (bases).
