HYDE – Two big innings bookended surging Philipsburg-Osceola’s 20-9 win over Clearfield in scholastic baseball action at the Bison Sports Complex Saturday afternoon.
The Mounties stung the Bisons with 11 runs in the first frame and, after the Red and Black fought back to make the score respectable at 12-6, topped off their fifth win in six games with eight runs in the seventh to narrow Central Mountain’s lead in the Mountain League Allegheny Division to a half-game.
Coach Sid Lansberry’s Bisons did get to Parker Watson for five runs, one more than he’d allowed in his previous 24 innings, but the unbeaten junior right-hander had the early cushion and notched his fifth victory in a five-inning stint.
Three extra base blows accounted for all but one of P-O’s runs in the first inning after Clearfield (6-8) starter Jarrett Fulmer looked like he might wiggle out of a bases-loaded jam by catching Watson looking at strike three.
However, Greg Belko ripped a bases-clearing double to deep left center and scored on a line single to left by Mark Curtis. After Hunter Harris walked, Rob Smith belted a three-run home run to left. A walk, Hayden Hayward’s hit and an error loaded the sacks for Drew Bryan, and the Virginia Military Institute recruit launched a grand slam that hugged the left field line.
“That’s a nightmarish start,” said Lansberry, noting the wind was blowing straight out at the start of the make-up game but refusing to offer that as an excuse. “Those were well-hit balls. Give them credit. It’s a heck of a hitting team. I know they have not been hitting that well this year, but it came out today.”
The Mounties, 9-4 with a 5-2 division record, piled up a season-high 16 hits, half going for extra bases.
Hayden Hayward lofted a solo home over the fence in left to lead off the third inning, ending Fulmer’s stay on the mound.
Ronny Ogden relieved and turned in his longest, and best, outing in six appearances.
He shut out the Mounties for four innings, striking out six, before tiring in the seventh.
“Ronny did a great job,” Lansberry said. “I felt happy for him, because the other night over at Punxsutawney he started and just didn’t have it and didn’t last very long. So he made a good comeback.
“Plus, he hit a home run.”
The lanky junior, who had stepped into the batter’s box only two times this season, shocked his teammates and coaches when he deposited a Watson pitch over the fence in left after Drew Brown doubled inside third to begin the fourth inning.
The Bisons had gotten a solo homer by Andrew Redden in the first and two runs on Tyler Jacobson’s bases-loaded walk and Trevor Flanagan’s groundout in the third, so Ogden’s first career long ball made it 12-5.
“They kept playing, and I was proud of that,” Lansberry said. “Our kids don’t quit. They keep coming back.”
Clearfield (6-8) turned Brown’s bad-hop single into a run in the sixth before P-O stroked six hits off Ogden and Kyler Kephart in the seventh. Cody Doran ignited the eight-run outburst with a double and ended it with a two-run single.
With a showdown against Central Mountain looming Tuesday, P-O coach Doug Sankey pulled Watson and went to the hard-throwing Doran, who gave up three hits and four runs, only one earned, in the last two innings.
Coleman Kubala’s double play grounder to second took a friendly bounce for a two-run single, and he scored on Kephart’s groundout in the seventh.
The Mountie infield did turn two double plays behind Watson.
“I’ve said before, P-O has a good, solid team,” Lansberry said. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes defensively.”
Doran had three hits while Hayward, Belko and Smith had two apiece for the Mounties.
Redden and Brown each had a pair for the Bisons, who will try to derail Central Mountain (10-1) Monday at the Bison Sports Complex.
EXTRA INNINGS — Two Bisons extended hitting streaks, Derek Danver’s now at 12 games and Flanagan’s at 10… Clearfield center fielder Shane Harper made a spectacular, diving catch on Belko’s high fly to right center in the sixth inning… Both first basemen, Flanagan and Belko made difficult back-to-the-diamond grabs of foul pop-ups… Watson had surrendered only 10 hits in his first four starts… The teams played through rain showers in the second and third innings… Clearfield is 2-5 in the ML-Allegheny Division.
PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA — 20
Cody Doran cf-p 5332, Hayden Hayward 3b 5421, Mike Marcinko 2b 4210, Drew Bryan ss 3215, Parker Watson p 4010, Cody Lee cf 1111, Greg Belko 1b 4123, Ryan Soltis ph 1000, Matt Kephart 1b 0000, Mark Curtis rf 4111, Alan Mills ph-rf 1111, Reggie Coval lf 0000, Hunter Harris dh 3211, Rob Smith c 3324. TOTALS: 38 20 16 19.
CLEARFIELD — 9
Jarrett Fulmer p-2b 2101, Derek Danver ss 4110, Andrew Redden c 4121, Tyler Jacobson 3b 3001, Trevor Flanagan 1b 3111, Christian Lezzer rf 2110, Steve Miller ph 1000, Shane Harper cf 0000, Coleman Kubala dh 4112, Drew Brown lf 4220, Tanner Ogden 2b 1000, Ronny Ogden p 1112, Kyler Kephart p 1001. TOTALS: 30 9 9 9.
Score by Innings
Philipsburg-Osceola (11)10 000 8 – 20 16 4
Clearfield 1 02 201 3 – 9 9 3
Errors – Hayward, Marcinko, Belko, Smith; Danver, Redden, Lezzer. PB – Smith 1. DP – Philipsburg-Osceola 2 (Bryan, Marcinko and Belko; Hayward, Marcinko and Belko). LOB – Philipsburg-Osceola 6; Clearfield 7. 2B – Doran, Lee, Belko, Smith; Brown. 3B – Marcinko. HR – Hayward (1), Bryan (1), Smith (2); Redden (4), R. Ogden (1).
Pitching
Philipsburg-Osceola – Watson 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K; Doran 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB,1 K.
Clearfield – Fulmer 2+ IP (faced 1 batter in 3rd), 7 H, 12 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; R. Ogden 4-1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K; Kephart 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
HB – Fulmer 3 (Hayward, Harris, Smith). WP – Doran
W – Watson (5-0). L – Fulmer (2-4).
Umpires – Scott Viehdorfer (plate) and Bill Pringle (bases).
