PUNXSUTAWNEY – The Clearfield Area High School softball team couldn’t have picked a worse time to be on Punxsutawney’s schedule than Friday.
One day after losing their first game of the season, the Lady Chucks proved to the Lady Bisons why they won their first seven games, notching a 7-0 victory in the non-league duel of District 9 Class AAA rivals at Harry Noerr Field.
Junior left-hander Randa Depp’s pitches posed a problem the Lady Bisons never solved.
The Lady Chucks’ No. 2 starter fashioned a four-hitter with four strikeouts and no walks in her third win.
“She broke the ball in on our right-handed hitters, and they just could not adjust,” Clearfield coach Bob Dixon said. “We hit a lot of balls off the handle.
“We tried to tell them to back away from the plate, but if they did, it didn’t work.
“And when she missed, her catcher (Johnna Depp) picked a lot of balls out of the dirt. That girl didn’t let any get by her. She did a nice job back there.”
Ashley Barenchik drove in the only run Randa Depp would need with a second-inning single and added a solo home run in the fourth.
Punxsy scored two runs in the third on a double steal and an RBI double by Tia Davis.
Clearfield (6-8) committed all four of its errors in the sixth inning to give the Lady Chucks their final three runs.
Rachel Hoffman gave up seven hits and walked four in her second loss. She struck out four.
The Lady Bisons begin next week with road games against two tough Mountain League Allegheny Division opponents, Central Mountain at Mill Hall Monday and Philipsburg-Osceola Tuesday.
See photos of the game here: http://www.ladybisonsports.org/lbsSBall050611.html
CLEARFIELD — 0
Andrea Butler ss 3000, Melinda Owens 2b 3000, B.J. Bowman cf 3010, Suzie Colesar 3b 3000, Mikayla Ebeling rf 3000, Rachel Hoffman p 3000, McKenzie Moore c 2010, Lucy Kovalick 1b 2010, Robyn McBride lf 2010. TOTALS: 24 0 4 0.
PUNXSUTAWNEY — 7
Ashley Barenchik ss 4222, Hannah Neal 2b 3010, Taylor Powell lf 4120, Shawnna Crago dp 3110, Jenna Reitz 3b 3000, Tia Davis rf 3011, Allie Shields cf 3100, Johnna Fedder 1b 2200, Johnna Depp c 2000, Randa Depp p (flex) 0000. TOTALS: 27 7 7 3.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 000 000 0 – 0 4 4
Punxsutawney 012 103 x – 7 7 1
Errors – Colesar, Hoffman 2, Ebeling; Barenchik. LOB – Clearfield 3; Punxsutawney 6. 2B – Powell, Davis. HR – Barenchik (2). Sac – J. Depp. SB – Powell, Crago 2. CS – Bowman, Colesar (by J. Depp); Barenchik (by Moore).
Pitching
Clearfield – Hoffman 6 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.
Punxsutawney – R. Depp 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.
WP – Hoffman 1.
W – R. Depp (3-0). L – Hoffman (3-2).