HYDE — Putting pressure on opposing hurlers and defenses continues to be a major problem for the Clearfield Area High School softball team against the good pitching the Lady Bison are seeing in the Mountain League this season.
Coach Bob Lewis’ Lady Bison settled for five singles against Bellefonte’s Stevi Confer and averted their fourth shutout with a fifth-inning run in a 6-1 loss at the Bison Sports Complex Monday.
Clearfield (3-10, 1-10 ML) has been held to two or fewer runs eight times while averaging just under six hits a game.
“We’re still struggling putting the bat on the ball,” Lewis said after the Lady Bison’s sixth consecutive setback. “And when we put the ball in play, we’re not hitting it hard.”
The hosts did bunch three of their hits in the fifth. Lauren Butler legged out a grounder near second base and scored on Megan Vanderburgh’s one-out liner into left field. Butler had advanced to third on a wild pitch and Mikayla Ebeling’s pop-fly single behind first base.
Rachel Hoffman walked to load the bases with two outs, but Confer escaped her only real jam via a groundout.
The Lady Raider sophomore finished strong, retiring seven of the last eight batters she faced.
Confer struck out seven and walked three in beating the Lady Bison for the second time.
Hoffman was tagged with the loss, surrendering eight hits and five earned runs while whiffing six and walking one.
She also was in the circle and fanned 10 Lady Raiders April 5 when Clearfield out-hit Bellefonte 8-5 but was edged 5-4 in eight innings.
The Lady Bison couldn’t get close in this one, as the Lady Raiders kept pecking away with extra base blows after a throwing error on a bunt gave them a run in the first frame.
They made it 3-0 in the third when Erica DeVinney rammed a run-scoring triple to deep right field and trotted home on Sarah Menna’s liner off third baseman Devynn Ireland’s glove.
The Lady Bison have not handled early deficits well at all.
“What that does is put pressure on everybody to try to step up,” Lewis said. “Typically, when we start early and we get on top of people, we’re okay.”
A singleton in the fourth on Olivia’s triple down the right field line and Vanessa Cooper’s sacrifice fly to short left increased the Bellefonte (7-4, 5-3 ML) lead to 4-0 in the fourth.
Then, DeVinney led off the fifth with a blast over the fence in left center. Two batters later, Menna doubled to the base of the fence in left to chase home Carly Chambers, who had received Hoffman’s lone free pass.
DeVinney wound up with three hits for the Lady Raiders, who will be seeking their 13th District 6 Class AAA championship in the last 14 years when the playoffs roll around in late May.
Lewis just wants to see improvement from his first Lady Bison team by then.
“I’ve been trying to tell the kids to keep their heads up and not get discouraged,” he said. “We’ll just proceed and watch the younger kids continue to grow and accept the fact that we are where we’re at. And we’ll move on.”
Clearfield travels to Punxsutawney Wednesday and Tyrone Thursday.
See photos of the game here: http://www.ladybisonsports.org/lbsSBall042913.html
BELLEFONTE — 6
Vanessa Cooper c 2111, Jess McClenahan 3b 4110, Erica DeVinney ss 4232, Carly Chambers lf 3100, Sarah Menna 1b 4021, Taylore Maurer pr-1b 0000, Alicia Allen cf 4000, Stevi Confer p 3000, Olivia Ripka 2b 4110, Erin Pugh dp 3000, Elizabeth Linn rf (flex) 0000. TOTALS: 31 6 8 4.
CLEARFIELD — 1
Megan Vanderburgh ss 4011, Macala Leigey rf 4000, Rachel Hoffman p 2010, Lucy Kovalick 1b 3000, Devynn Ireland 3b 2000, Janelle Wallace c 3000, Lauren Butler 2b 3110, Heather Picard lf 2010, Mikalya Ebeling cf 3010. TOTALS: 26 1 5 1.
Score by Innings
Bellefonte 102 120 0 – 6 8 0
Clearfield 000 010 0 – 1 5 4
Errors – Hoffman 2, Butler, Picard. PB – Wallace 1. LOB – Bellefonte 8; Clearfield . 2B -Menna. 3B – DeVinney, Ripka. HR – DeVinney. SF – Cooper. SB – Allen.
Pitching
Bellefonte – Confer 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K.
Clearfield – Hoffman 7 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 6 K.
HB – Hoffman 2 (Cooper, Chambers). WP – Confer.
W – Confer. L – Hoffman (1-6).
Umpires – Kenny Knepp (plate) and Bud Brennen (bases).
Lady Bison Scoreboard:
| 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 – 1 | 2 – 2 |
| 4/10 | @ Central | 1 – 11 | 2 – 3 |
| 4/12 | @ Penns Valley | ppd. | 2 – 3 |
| 4/15 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | 0 – 9 | 2 – 4 |
| 4/16 | @ Brookville | 8 – 4 | 3 – 4 |
| 4/18 | CENTRAL | 1 – 6 | 3 – 5 |
| 4/22 | @ Penns Valley | 0 – 7 | 3 – 6 |
| 4/23 | @ Huntingdon (DH) | 7 – 9 | 3 – 7 |
| @ Huntingdon (DH) | 2 – 11 | 3 – 8 | |
| 4/26 | BALD EAGLE AREA | 1 – 13 | 3 – 9 |
| 4/29 | BELLEFONTE | 1 – 6 | 3 – 10 |
| 5/01 | @ Punxsutawney | ||
| 5/02 | @ Tyrone | ||
| 5/06 | PENNS VALLEY | ||
| 5/07 | ST. MARYS | ||
| 5/09 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ||
| 5/14 | @ Altoona | ||
| 5/16 | HOLLIDAYSBURG |