ML Leader BEA’s Unearned Run in Seventh Nips Clearfield 5-4

HYDE — The Clearfield Area High School baseball team gave Mountain League front-runner Bald Eagle Area a battle at the Bison Sports Complex Thursday, but an unearned run in the top of the seventh inning enabled the Eagles to escape with a 5-4 win.

Bryce Greene hammered a two-out, full-count triple to right center field and continued running around third base to score the winning run when the relay was not executed by the Bison.

Jon Romine then pitched his fourth 1-2-3 inning to complete a three-hitter that keeps Bald Eagle Area (7-2, 7-1 ML) 1½ games ahead of Bellefonte.

Held hitless through five innings by the big senior right-hander, Clearfield (2-7, 2-5 ML) tied the score in the sixth inning with three runs.

Cole Kephart broke up the no-hitter after Jon Janocko had received the fifth of Romine’s six free passes. Thomas Summers followed with another single to load the bases.

Wyatt Westen singled and Josh Kennedy walked for RBIs, with Summers scoring the tying run on a wild pitch.

Romine walked three of the first four batters he faced to give Clearfield a run that Janocko made stand up until the fifth inning.

The Bison junior right-hander, working on a one-hitter, issued walks to Ben Verbitskey and Nate Cleaver to give the Eagles life. A sacrifice fly by Gage Gardner and a single by Bryan Greene set the stage for the game-changing hit, Logan Reese’s three-run homer.

Clearfield’s rally in the sixth took Janocko off the hook, and Devin Jones was tagged with the tough loss in his fourth relief appearance of the season. He struck out two, walked none and allowed two hits in two innings.

The Bison make the long trip to Martinsburg Friday to play Central in a league game that has been postponed three times.

Mountain League Standings – Bald Eagle Area 7-1, Bellefonte 5-2, Central 4-2, Huntingdon 3-3, Tyrone 3-5, Clearfield 2-5, Philipsbrurg-Osceola 2-5, Penns Valley 2-5.

BALD EAGLE AREA — 5

Bryan Greene c 4110, Bryce Greene ss 4120, Logan Reese lf 4113, Dylan Womer rf 3000, Ryan Dyke 3b 2010, Cole Long 1b 3000, Ben Verbitskey cf 2100, Jon Romine p 0000, Nate Cleaver dh 2100, Gage Gardner 2001.  TOTALS: 26  5  5  4.

CLEARFIELD — 4

Spencer Herrington 2b 3100, Curtis Collins lf 3000, Jon Janocko p-1b 2100, Cole Kephart 3b 4110, Thomas Summers 1b-cf 2111, Sawyer Rowles cf 0000, Devin Jones p 0000, Erik Sellers dh 3000, Wyatt Westen ss 3011, Josh Kennedy rf 2001, Zach Timchak rf 0000, Jonas Kochan c 3000, Josh Sorbera c 0000.  TOTALS: 25  4  3  3

Score by Innings

Bald Eagle Area  000 040 1 – 5  5  0  
Clearfield           100 003 0 – 4  3  2
Errors – Summers, Westen. LOB – Bald Eagle Area 4; Clearfield 6. 2B – Dyke. 3B – Bryce Greene. HR – Reese. SF – Gardner. SB – Bryce Greene, Verbitskey, Cleaver, Gardner.

Pitching

Bald Eagle Area – Romine 7IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 10 K.
Clearfield – Janocko 5 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; Jones 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
WP – Romine 1; Janocko 1.
W – Romine (2-1). L – Jones (0-1).

Bison Scoreboard: