CLEARFIELD – Three dozen former Clearfield Area High School diamond players dusted off their shoes and gloves again Saturday and displayed varying degrees of skill levels in the sixth annual Bison Baseball Alumni Weekend games at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park Field.
A cool mid-morning for early arrivals turned into a near-perfect afternoon for baseball, and the former Bisons from teams dating back to 1957 didn’t disappoint as they sprayed 43 hits to all parts of the field in two entertaining, high-scoring, six-inning contests.
The scorebook shows the victors as the Bison Red Oldtimers 9-6 and the Bison Red Youngsters 10-6, but every participant was a winner in the fund-raiser for the Clearfield Baseball Association.
Prior to the Oldtimers Game, Bill Putt (1970) was honored with a plaque from the CBA in recognition of the school’s only perfect game. He pitched the gem on May 20, 1970, at the Driving Park, mesmerizing Philipsburg-Osceola 3-0 with nine strikeouts.
Special tribute also went to players from the Moshannon Valley League champion 1970 team and the District 9 champion 1980 and 1990 teams.
In the Oldtimers Game, junior varsity coach Donnie Shimmel (’84) earned Most Valuable Player honors for Bison Red by driving in four, three with the day’s lone home run, and pitching the final two innings to save the win for Jack Rumfola (’86).
Shimmel’s bomb over the left field fence and consecutive hits by Chris Peacock (’91), Dean Lansberry (’79) and Jerry Bickel (’72) wiped out Bison Black’s 5-1 lead in the third frame.
Scott Dunlap (’81) snapped the tie with a single that plated Rumfola, who had hustled out an infield single and then chugged around third to beat the throw from left field. Peacock provided the insurance with his third hit, a two-run single to short right center.
Ken “Buck” Danver (’71), who had singled and scored on Shimmel’s sacrifice fly in the first inning, drove in the final Bison Black run in the fifth with his second hit.
Bison Red, coached by Butch Martell (’64), longtime CAHS mentor Sid Lansberry (’64) and Ward Fink, struck for five runs off Dean Lansberry (’79) in the second as Putt, Dennis Bowman (’86), Brandon Billotte (’98) and Ken Billotte (’64) delivered run-scoring hits.
Shimmel forced in the last run with a bases-loaded walk in the fifth, getting out of the one-out jam on a liner to ageless second baseman Merrill Dunlap (’57) and a flyout. Bison Red’s second double play on Ed Yeager’s shot to deep left bailed out Shimmel in the sixth.
Winner Rumfola, who wasn’t allowed near the mound when he was a schoolboy, worked two scoreless innings, giving up only one hit and two walks.
Danver, Lansberry and Rumfola chipped in two hits apiece for Bison Red.
The Gold Glove Award went to Bickel for his performance behind the plate.
Bowman was the Bison Black MVP after singling twice, walking twice, driving in two runs and pitching two solid innings when Putt, the scheduled starter, begged off after having to make the ceremonial first pitch two times. He received a similar honor in 2006.
Putt was named Rookie of the Year while second baseman Keith Billotte (’64) picked up the Gold Glove Award for a couple of acrobatic grabs to go with two routine stops.
Tom Kirsch (’70) and Hank Wilson (’82) coached the Bison Black.
In the Youngsters Game, Bison Red took control at the outset with Peacock’s single and Trey Wallace’s bases-loaded walk pushing across two runs in the first and Peacock’s two-run single capping a four-run second. Steve Terry scored on the back end of a double steal to make it 6-0.
Bison Black made it interesting with three runs in the third.
Losing hurler Corey Bookhamer doubled home Thomas Yeager (’02) and later stole home.
Pairs of gift runs in the fourth and fifth locked it up for Bison Red, three of the runs coming on bases-loaded walks and the fourth on an error.
Bison Black tallied singletons in those innings.
Two-baggers by Frank Hipps (’90) and Thomas Yeager produced one, and Bookhamer’s third hit and second stolen base led to the other.
Peacock paced Bison Red with two hits and four RBIs and was named MVP. Lucas Malloy, who walked twice and scored three runs in the No. 9 hole, was selected Rookie of the Year. Catcher Brent Lykens (’91) was the Gold Glove Award recipient for the second year in a row. He also had two singles.
Bison Black’s recipients were Yeager (MVP) for socking three hits, including two doubles, second baseman Curtis Campman (’06, Gold Glove) and Bookhamer (Rookie).
Coaches were Brian Barr (’91) for Bison Red and Brandon Billotte (’98) for Bison Black.
EXTRA INNINGS – Home run derbies preceded both games, with Scott Dunlap’s two long balls and 11 points topping the Oldtimers and Brandon Billotte besting cousin Kevin Billotte (’94) in a Youngsters tie-breaker after they matched pairs of homers and 12 points. Both derby kings donated their winnings to the CBA. Half of the entry fees went to the Isaac Graham (’98) family… Father-son combinations were Merrill and Scott Dunlap, Ed and Thomas Yeager and Keith and Kevin Billotte… Brothers who played together were Keith and Ken Billotte, Sid and Dean Lansberry, Brent and Kevin Lykens and Ken, Tom and Doug Danver… Pat “Planet P” Pallo (’86), Shimmel and Ed Yeager mixed player information and humor as announcers… Sara Liptak, granddaughter of Jack Morris (’64) sang a stirring rendition of the National Anthem.
OLDTIMERS GAME
BISON BLACK – 6
Dennis Bowman (’86) rf-p-ss-cf 2122, Brandon Billotte (’98) cf-p 4121, Thomas Yeager (’02) lf 4000, Ken Billotte (’64) ss-p-ss 4021, Ed Yeager (’75) 3b 4000, Keith Billotte (’64) 2b 1210, Doug Danver (’76, Clearfield St. Francis H.S.) 1b 4000, Tom Danver (’82) c 3120, Bill Putt (’70) p-rf 3121. TOTALS: 29 6 11 5.
BISON RED – 9
Scott Collins (’86) cf 3210, Ken Danver (’71) rf 4121, Scott Dunlap (’81) ss 4121, Donnie Shimmel (’84) 1b-p 2114, Chris Peacock (’78) 1b 3032, Sid Lansberry (’64) pr 0100, Dean Lansberry (’79) p-eh-1b 3020, Jerry Bickel (’72) c 3011, Merrill Dunlap (’57) 2b 2000, Butch Martell (’63) ph 1000, Jack Rumfola (’86) eh-p-c 2000, Pat Pallo (’86) ph 1010. TOTALS: 30 9 15 9.
Score by Innings
Black 050 010 – 6 11 2
Red 104 31x – 9 15 3
LOB – Black 10; Red 9. DP – Red 2 (S. Dunlap, M. Dunlap and Shimmel; C. Peacock, S. Dunlap and D. Lansberry). 2B – B. Billotte; C. Peacock. HR – Shimmel. SF – Shimmel.
Pitching
Black – Bowman 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K; Ken Billotte 2 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 0 K; B. Billotte 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
Red – D. Lansberry 2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K; Rumfola 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Shimmel 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.
W – Rumfola. L – Ken Billotte. Save – Shimmel.
Umpires – Bill Bacharach (’70), home plate; Mark Michelucci, bases.
* * * * * * * * * *
YOUNGSTERS GAME
BISON RED – 10
Brent Lykens (’91) c 4120, Brian Barr (’91) lf-1b 2210, Steve Terry (’89) cf-p 3211, S. Dunlap (’81) ss 2001, C. Peacock (’91) 1b 3024, Kevin Lykens (’95) 2b 3001, Trey Wallace (’06) p-cf 3011, Adam Lansberry (’93) rf 3100, Aaron Rowles (’96) eh-1b-lf 4110, Lucas Malloy (’07) 3b 1300. TOTALS: 28 10 8 8.
BISON BLACK – 6
Brandon Billotte (’98) lf-ss-lf 4000, T. Yeager (’02) c-ss 4131, Kevin Billotte (’94) cf 4210, Corey Bookhamer (’09) p-lf-cf 4231, Max Condon (’06) ss-p 2011, Curtis Campman (’06) 2b 3000, Shane Davis (’06) 1b 3001, Frank Hipps (’90) rf 3110, T. Danver (’82) 2b 3000. TOTALS: 30 6 9 4.
Red 240 220 – 10 8 4
Black 103 110 – 6 9 2
LOB – Red 11; Black 7. 2B – T. Yeager 2, Bookhamer. SB – Rowles; Bookhamer 2, Condon.
Pitching
Red – Wallace 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K; Terry 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.
Black – Bookhamer 3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 6 K; Condon 3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 4 K.
HB – Condon 1 (S. Dunlap).
W – Wallace. L – Bookhamer. Save – Terry.
Umpires – Michelucci, home plate; Bacharach, bases.
