HYDE – A fifth-inning pep talk by veteran coach Sid Lansberry did the trick Monday afternoon as Clearfield rallied to knock off once-beaten Bald Eagle Area 9-7 in a Mountain Baseball League crossover game at the Bison Sports Complex.
Senior second baseman Jarrett Fulmer responded in a big way by cracking the first two home runs of his career in back-to-back trips to the plate, the second snapping a 7-7 tie in the bottom of the sixth after the Bisons had wiped out a 6-1 deficit the previous inning.
The situation was as dreary as the overcast skies when Lansberry decided to take action with the Bisons staring at a 1-4 start to his 40th season.
He kept it brief.
“I called them together,” he explained, “And I said, ‘It’s the fifth inning. We have three to go. The top of the order is up. Let’s make some noise.'”
Jarrett did just that, twice.
His first homer, a high, opposite-field blast to right center, sparked a six-run outburst.
“That got us going,” Lansberry said.
Then, Derek Danver walked on a close 3-2 pitch and Andrew Redden was safe when his slow roller was thrown away at first.
Justin Taylor relieved BEA starter Dylan Womer and, with one out, hit Tyler Jacobson to load the bases.
Keeping the rally alive, designated hitter Christian Lezzer slashed a single to left and Shane Harper singled to deep short for RBIs.
Taylor grabbed pinch-hitter Steve Miller’s double play comebacker but elected to throw to second instead of going to the plate, and Harper’s hard slide foiled that attempt, leaving runners on the corners and the Bisons down 6-5.
“The inning would have been over if Shane doesn’t break up the double play,” said Lansberry.
Immediately, he opted to signal for a much-practiced forced balk play, sending Drew Brown, running for Miller, while Taylor still was in the stretch with Kurtis Krise at bat.
Taylor didn’t balk, though. Instead, he stepped off the rubber, faked a throw to second, turned and had Lezzer hung up between third and home. However, when Lezzer broke for the plate, Taylor’s throw was off-target and bounced out of play, allowing Brown to score behind Lezzer and put the Bisons on top 7-6.
“It wasn’t the way it’s supposed to be done, but it worked,” Lansberry said, noting the play had been executed properly at Central Mountain Friday.
Clearfield’s first lead didn’t last very long as Mike Cowles, who transferred to BEA after leading Bolivar-Richburg to the New York Class D state final last spring, capped a three-hit, three-RBI game by lashing a one-out homer to left center in the top of the sixth.
Jarrett responded to settle matters with his game-winner, a leadoff shot that cleared the left-center fence in a hurry.
“I don’t know where (that power) came from, especially when the air is dead like it was today,” Lansberry said. “Those were big hits.”
The Bisons tacked on an insurance run when Lezzer blooped a two-out single to left that chased home Danver, who had drilled a single to right and moved up on Andrew Redden’s second safety.
Jacobson wrapped up a solid relief outing by retiring the Eagles in order in the seventh to notch the win.
The senior right-hander replaced Ronny Ogden after BEA had scored two runs in the fourth to go up 5-1 and allowed three hits and two earned runs in 3-2/3 innings.
“Jake came in and did a nice job,” Lansberry said. “This is gonna do a lot for his confidence. The last couple innings, he looked like he was enjoying himself on the mound.
“And I don’t think Ronny pitched that badly. He needs experience, that’s all. He usually throws strikes, which is what you need sometimes.”
In his first varsity start, Ogden went 3-1/3 innings and surrendered eight hits and five runs, three earned.
Jacobson was a fourth Bison with two hits, his single through the middle breaking up Womer’s shutout in the fourth inning.
In all, Clearfield matched its season high with 11 hits.
“Actually, we hit the ball pretty hard most of the game,” Lansberry said.
Kyle Womer and Adam Snook backed Cowles with two hits apiece for BEA (4-2).
Weather permitting, Clearfield will travel to Huntingdon Tuesday and Juniata Wednesday.
BALD EAGLE AREA — 7
Dylan Womer p-lf 0000, Coleman Hoffman dh 4001, Lance Williamson 3b 3210, Kyle Womer rf 4120, Justin Taylor ss-p 3101, Mike Cowles c-ss 4133, Tyler Bennett 2b 4110, Adam Snook 1b 3020, Jeff Koleno cf 4110, Logan Reese, lf-c 4010. TOTALS: 34 7 11 5.
CLEARFIELD — 9
Jarrett Fulmer 4222, Derek Danver 2210, Andrew Redden 3220, Trevor Flanagan 1b-3b 3010, Tyler Jacobson 3b-p 3121, Ronny Ogden p 0000, Coleman Kubala 1b 0000, Christian Lezzer dh 4122, Shane Harper cf 3011, Drew Brown 1100, Tanner Ogden ph-lf 1000, Steve Miller ph 1001, Kurtis Krise rf 3000. TOTALS: 29 9 11 7.
Score by Innings
Bald Eagle Area 201 211 0 – 7 11 5
Clearfield 000 162 x – 9 11 7
Errors – Danver, Jacobson, Ogden. PB – Cowles 1. DP – Bald Eagle Area 1 (Taylor, Bennett and Snook). LOB – Bald Eagle Area 10; Clearfield 6. 2B – K. Womer, Cowles, Bennett. HR – Cowles; Fulmer 2 (2). SF – Taylor. SB – Koleno 2; Brown.
Pitching
Bald Eagle Area – D. Womer 4+ IP (faced 3 batters in 5th), 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K; Taylor 2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.
Clearfield – R. Ogden 3-1/3 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K; Jacobson 3-2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.
HB – Taylor 1 (Jacobson); R. Ogden 1 (Hoffman).
W – Jacobson (1-0). L – Taylor (2-1).
Umpires – Scott Viehdorfer (plate) and Lynn Gilham (bases).
