HYDE – The Clearfield Area High School baseball team began the season by erasing big deficits in its first two games, only to lose both in the seventh inning.
The Bisons made sure they didn’t let another one slip away Wednesday after coming from way back against Huntingdon at the Bison Sports Complex.
Down 13-2 going to the bottom of the fifth frame, the Bisons quieted the chatter in the Bearcat dugout with back-to-back eight-run outbursts to pull out an 18-14 victory in the Mountain League Allegheny Division opener for both squads.
“It’s a great win for these kids,” coach Sid Lansberry described the comeback effort that boosted Clearfield to 2-3. “They won’t quit. I think it has a lot to do with team chemistry.”
Starting pitcher Tanner Ogden didn’t let his struggles on the hill affect his concentration in the batter’s box as the senior blasted a home run and a double in a four-hit, three-RBI performance that highlighted a 14-hit attack which included a double and two singles by Coleman Kubala and two singles by Thomas Summers.
“Last year, Tanner was a letterman, but I’m not sure he even had a batting average,” Lansberry said. “He played defensively a lot in the outfield but didn’t bat much.
“He’s turned it around completely this year.”
While Ogden hiked his average to .563, Kubala came out of his mini-slump to chase home three runs, including the final two that gave the Bisons a five-run cushion going to the last inning.
“He said he was going to turn it around today,” Lansberry said. “I guess he did.”
Clearfield’s biggest blow, though, undoubtedly was Kyler Kephart’s two-out, three-run double that sliced Huntingdon’s lead to13-9 and got his teammates really fired up in the fifth inning.
Lansberry labeled it the biggest at-bat of the game.
The fact that Kephart’s status was questionable because of wisdom teeth surgery Tuesday made his bases-clearing bullet to left-center field even more special.
“I didn’t even know he was going to play until he came up here after school and said he felt fine,” noted Lansberry, who added he had planned to give Kephart another start on the heels of his four-hit, 3-1 win against Penns Valley Friday.
“He had told me about (the surgery) before, but I forgot about it,” Lansberry said. “He reminded me after practice Monday.”
Instead, Ogden got the nod but didn’t survive the second inning after two Bison errors opened the gates and Bearcats Tanner Cook and Nate Negri cranked two-run homers with the wind blowing straight out.
All six runs that put the visitors in front 7-2 were unearned.
Kephart got the final out but ran into trouble himself the next inning as three more Clearfield misplays helped Huntingdon (0-5) pad the margin to 12-2.
Wyatt Westen relieved and surrendered a run-scoring infield single by Matt Kyper, who had three hits and three RBIs, and a blooper to left by Scott Alleman before settling down.
The young right-hander wound up the beneficiary of Clearfield’s rallies by limiting the Bearcats to three runs, two earned, over the final 4-2/3 innings.
Huntingdon did get the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but Westen ended it with his fifth strikeout on his 99th pitch. He issued two walks.
“That was a great job in relief for a sophomore,” Lansberry said. “His other game was against Bellefonte, and he didn’t look very sharp that day. But, today, he did a nice job.”
Ogden’s two-run homer to center gave Clearfield a 2-1 lead after one frame but were the only runs off Alleman, who was pulled after giving up four hits and striking out five in four innings.
With the Bisons facing a Mercy Rule loss, Lansberry gathered his players for a brief pep talk.
He told them, “We have 2-3-4 coming up, the meat of the order. Why don’t we just try to stay in the game. Get a couple runs so we can bat again.”
That was assured when two runners scored on a throwing error after Kubala’s RBI-single to make it 13-5.
Reliever Jordan Weller exited after walking the next two batters. Pinch-hitter Kurtis Krise slapped a single to right off Josh Bafia, who walked Curtis Collins to force in a run before Kephart came through in the clutch and then scored on Ogden’s wind-blown single behind third base.
In the sixth, Clearfield got the tying runs aboard against Negri, the fourth Huntingdon hurler, via an error, a walk and Summers’ single.
Westen’s single to right, Collins’ swinging bunt and Cole Kephart’s free pass got Clearfield even.
Two more Bearcat errors gave the Bisons three runs before Kubala’s hard shot ricocheted off Negri’s foot and behind first base for the final two tallies.
“They helped us out some, but we had good, tough at-bats,” Lansberry said. “Not just base hits, but a lot of walks when we were down to a full count and laid off pitches.
“Let’s face it. That was a sloppy game both ways.
“But winning ugly counts.”
The Bisons are booked for three division games next week, home against Central Monday, at Tyrone Wednesday and at Philipsburg-Osceola Friday.
The Clearfield junior varsity (1-3) broke into the win column, 14-4 in five innings, behind the two-hit pitching of Sawyer Rowles and three hits and three runs batted in by Josh Kennedy. Devin Jones also had three safeties, while Kyle Kushner and Rowles scored four and three runs, respectively.
HUNTINGDON — 14
Tanner Cook cf 4212, Josh Bafia 3b-1b-p-3b 4210, Nate Negri ss-p 4333, Ryan Jadlocki 1110, Mack Long c 0000, Matt Kyper dh 3233, Scott Alleman p-ss 3021, Adam Kifer ph-3b 1000, Jordan Weller 1b-p-1b 3011, Hunter Price ph 1000, Nate Shope rf 5210, Nate Gearhart lf 4000, Josh Foster 2b 4230. TOTALS: 37 14 16 10.
CLEARFIELD — 18
Cole Kephart ss 3201, Kyler Kephart 2b-p-2b 5214, Tanner Ogden p-cf 5343, Ronny Ogden lf-rf 4110, Michael Wood pr-lf 0000, Coleman Kubala 3b 5233, Jon Janocko 1b 3200, Jonas Kochan c 0000, Thomas Summer dh 2220, Matt Josephson pr 0000, Wyatt Westen cf-2b-p 3111, Kurtis Krise ph 1110, Curtis Collins rf-lf 3212. TOTALS: 34 18 14 14.
Score by Innings
Huntingdon 165 100 1 – 14 16 5
Clearfield 200 088 x – 18 14 6
Errors – Alleman, Weller, Foster 3; C. Kephart, K. Kephart, R. Ogden 3, Janocko. DP – Huntingdon 2 (Negri, Foster and Weller; Alleman, Foster and Weller); Clearfield 1 (C. Kephart, K. Kephart and Janocko). 2B – Negri, Jadlocki; K. Kephart, T. Ogden, Kubala. HR – Cook, Negri; T. Ogden (1). SB – Bafia, Kyper 3, Shope 2; C. Kephart. CS – Foster (by Kochan).
Pitching
Huntingdon – Alleman 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K; Weller 1/3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Bafia 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Negri 1 IP, 4 H, 8 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
Clearfield – T. Ogden 1-2/3 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K; K. Kephart 2/3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K; Westen 4-2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.
HB – T. Ogden 1 (Kyper). WP – Bafia 1. Balk – Westen 1.
W – Westen (1-1). L – Negri.
Umpires – Jay Siegel (plate) and Hank Wilson (bases).
Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 3/23 | @ Norfolk Collegiate HS | 9 – 10 | 0 – 1 |
| 3/27 | BELLEFONTE | 13 – 15 | 0 – 2 |
| 3/30 | PENNS VALLEY | 3 – 1 | 1 – 2 |
| 4/02 | @ Punxsutawney | 6 – 12 | 1 – 3 |
| 4/04 | HUNTINGDON | 18 – 14 | 2 – 3 |
| 4/09 | CENTRAL | ||
| 4/11 | @ Tyrone | ||
| 4/13 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola |