HYDE — Senior right-hander Heather Picard authored her second dazzler in a row while Megan Vanderburgh scored three runs and Mikayla Ebeling drove in four at the top of the batting order as the Clearfield Area High School softball team shook off last week’s pair of one-run heartbreakers to thump Bradford 10-0 in five innings at the Bison Sports Complex Monday afternoon.
Picard trumped her season-opening, two-hit, 1-0 loss at Bald Eagle Area with a scintillating four-inning performance that was marred only by Rylee Lundgren’s solid single through the left side in the first.
The three-year veteran struck out 12 Lady Owls, including the last 10 in a row with an overpowering fast ball and effective off-speed deliveries.
“She’s sneaky quick, and when she’s on her game, she just plasters the plate,” Bob Lewis said following his first victory of his rookie season as head coach. “That’s what she did tonight.
“She definitely was on her game.”
Was she ever!
Of her 45 pitches, 39 were strikes.
Lewis admitted he’d never seen a ratio like that.
“That just comes from her hard work, and working in the off season” he said. “She’s put in her time. She’s a seasoned pitcher.”
Lewis was quick to give pitching coach Fred Redden, another newcomer to the Clearfield staff, some deserved credit for Picard’s strong start.
“She’s kinda bought into what his philosophy is,” Lewis said. “She has a numerous amount of pitches that she can throw. She threw a couple change-ups that were pretty darn impressive to me. I think she was throwing a knuckle change towards the end. I even had to ask Fred what that was.”
It didn’t matter much what pitch Picard was firing.
The Lady Owls rarely got a piece of ’em and fared only a little better against reliever Raeleigh Redden in the fifth inning.
The freshman took care of them herself on a slow roller, a popup and a strikeout in her debut in the circle.
Then, the Lady Bison pinned the third straight Mercy Rule loss on the Lady Owls when Rachel Hoffman scored on Lucy Kovalick’s hard grounder that was booted. Hoffman had been plunked by a Kylee Schaumleffel offering and advanced to third on pinch-hitter Karlie Lewis’ line single that was misplayed.
After Vanderburgh singled, stole second and eventually scored on Ebeling’s groundout in the first inning, Clearfield sent 10 batters to the plate and scored four runs in both the second and third frames against Ashley Stoltz to open a 9-0 lead.
Ebeling capped the second-inning flurry with a two-run single and added a run-scoring grounder in the third.
“That’s what senior leadership does for you,” Lewis said. “She has her game face. She brings it to the field every practice. Every night she’s ready to go.”
Vanderburgh touched the plate again following her run-scoring single in the second and after working a free pass in the third.
“I actually had her, originally, in the two hole, but then I decided to go with the leadoff spot,” Lewis said. “She’s done a wonderful job of getting on base and making things happen, even in those close games.”
Pairs of runs were scored by Picard, who walked twice, and Lauren Butler, who got aboard via a run-scoring forceout and a walk.
Freshman Devynn Ireland added two singles on the heels of a three-hit game at Bellefonte.
“I had told the girls before we even came out that they can’t look past a team like Bradford,” Lewis said. “I was very, very proud of them.
“I continue to preach a philosophy about pitching and defense. And it seems to be working.”
The busy week continues for the Lady Bison with a home game against Tyrone Tuesday and a make-up against Central at Martinsburg Wednesday.
See photos of the win here: http://www.ladybisonsports.org/lbsSBall040813.html
BRADFORD — 0
Ashley Stoltz p 2000, Kyle Schaumleffel p 0000, Ryan Lundgren ss 2010, Lindsay Rinfrette 1b 2000, Lexy Pascarella 3b 2000, Payton Llewellyn lf 2000, Ashlyn Kelly cf 2000, Marisa Cobb rf 2000, Amelia Chapman 2b 0000, Danielle Mackey 2b-rf 1000, Abby Evers dp 1000, Megan Patterson (flex) c 0000. TOTALS: 16 0 1 0.
CLEARFILED — 10
Megan Vanderburgh ss 3321, Mikayla Ebeling cf 3114, Vanessa Goodrow ph-cf 1000, Rachel Hoffman 1b 3111, Devynn Ireland c 3021, Karlie Lewis ph 1010, Lucy Kovalick 3b 3001, Victoria Ireland dp 2110, Janelle Wallace lf 2000, Heather Picard p 0200, Sam Foster ph 1000, Raeleigh Redden p 0000, Lauren Butler 2b 1200, Macala Leigey rf 0000. TOTALS: 23 10 8 8.
Score by Innings
Bradford 000 00 – 0 1 7
Clearfield 144 01 – 10 8 0
E – Pascarella 4, Llewellyn, Cobb, Mackey. PB – Patterson. DP – Bradford 1 (Llewellyn, Lundgren and Mackey). LOB – Bradford 1; Clearfield 10. SB – Vanderburgh, D. Ireland, Wallace, Picard, Butler.
Pitching
Bradford – Stoltz 2-1/3 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 0 K; Schaumleffel 1-2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K.
Clearfield – Picard 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K; Redden 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.
HB – Schaumleffel 1 (Hoffman). WP – Stoltz 2; Schaumleffel 1.
W – Picard (1-1). L – Stoltz.
Umpires – Tim Rupp (plate) and Scott Viehdorfer (bases).
Lady Bison Scorebord:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 3/26 | CENTRAL | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 3/28 | HUNTINGDON | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 4/01 | @ Central | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 4/03 | @ Bald Eagle Area | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 4/04 | @ Bald Eagle Area | 0 – 1 | 0 – 1 |
| 4/05 | @ Bellefonte | 4 – 5 | 0 – 2 |
| 4/08 | BRADFORD | 10 – 0 | 1 – 2 |
| 4/09 | TYRONE | ||
| 4/10 | @ Central | ||
| 4/12 | @ Penns Valley | ||
| 4/15 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | ||
| 4/16 | @ Brookville | ||
| 4/18 | CENTRAL | ||
| 4/23 | @ Huntingdon (DH) | ||
| 4/26 | BALD EAGLE AREA | ||
| 4/29 | BELLEFONTE | ||
| 5/01 | @ Punxsutawney | ||
| 5/02 | @ Tyrone | ||
| 5/06 | PENNS VALLEY | ||
| 5/07 | ST. MARYS | ||
| 5/09 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ||
| 5/14 | @ Altoona | ||
| 5/16 | HOLLIDAYSBURG |