Bison Nipped 4-3 by Streaking Scarlet Dragons

HYDE — The Clearfield Area High School baseball team’s bid for a third late-inning rally win in as many days was thwarted by Central reliever Kasy Hamm in the bottom of the seventh inning at the Bison Sports Complex Wednesday afternoon.

The Bison plated two runs before Hamm ended the Mountain League make-up game with his third strikeout of the frame to preserve the 4-3 victory for Zach Croft.

Josh Sorbera led off the do-or-die seventh with a walk, and courtesy runner Kaleb Taylor was chased around the sacks by Spencer Herrington, who blasted a triple to deep right center.

Jon Janocko’s line single to center drove in Herrington and kept the Bison hopes flickering with pinch-runner Sawyer Rowles representing the tying run, but Hamm doused them with his fourth strikeout in two innings on the hill.

The finish and outcome were somewhat similar to the April 26 game at Martinsburg, except there was much more offense in that one. Clearfield staged a seventh-inning comeback with six runs off Croft before Hamm got the final out for the save in the 11-9 win.

The Bison (5-11, 4-8 ML) didn’t fare nearly as well against Croft in the rematch, mustering only three hits and stranding six runners through five innings.

They’ve left at least nine runners on base in nine games.

“We’re not hitting with guys in scoring position,” Clearfield coach Sid Lansberry said. “Same thing last night, really. We were lucky to win.”

 The Bison edged Penns Valley with two runs in the ninth inning Tuesday for their third win in their last four games, but they couldn’t quite pull out another one against the Scarlet Dragons.

“The kids are battling,” Lansberry said. “I called it a character-building week. Three games in a row, we fought back from behind.

“We’re playing a lot better. We’re being much more competitive than we were earlier in the year. We definitely are improving. We’ve just got to get the sticks going a little bit and get some more out of the bottom of the order.”

Junior right-hander Devin Jones did all he could to give the Bison a chance to knock off the Scarlet Dragons, who have won 12 games in a row since opening the season with four losses and are tied with Bald Eagle Area atop the Mountain League at 10-2.

Jones, making just his second start, surrendered 10 hits and two walks but got big outs to quell Central threats.

“He did an outstanding job against what I think is the best lineup in the league,” Lansberry said. “Bald Eagle Area might be in first place, but I think this team is better.”

“You couldn’t ask any more out of a pitcher than what he did. Plus he went the whole way. That helps us out for Friday, Monday and Tuesday.”

Jones struck out three in only the second seven-inning complete game by a Bison hurler this season.

What makes his performance even more impressive is the fact that Jones threw more than 50 pitches in two innings against Brookville Monday and then informed Lansberry his arm felt a little sore Tuesday.

“I wasn’t sure he was gonna pitch,” Lansberry said. “I was hoping for three or four innings, if he could pitch at all. I didn’t know until he came here tonight and said his arm was okay.”

It was more than okay, for Jones threw just over 100 pitches while exceeding Lansberry’s expectations in going the distance.

He was helped a bit by the Scarlet Dragons’ aggressive baserunning that backfired on three occasions.

Zach Slagenweit was thrown out by Bison catcher Josh Sorbera on a steal attempt in the second inning, Mike Mock was cut down trying to advance from first to third on an infield single in the fourth and pinch-runner Jared Ponder was out at the plate trying to score when Bradi Moore reached base on an error in the seventh.

Still, Central had just enough runs in the end with singletons in each of the first three innings and what appeared to be an extra insurance run in the seventh.

Two-out hits by Hamm and Slagenweit gave the Scarlet Dragons a 2-0 start, and Ethan Lewis scored on a wild pitch in the third for a 3-1 lead that stood up until the last inning, when Austin Cunningham tripled to right center and came home on Jay Stern’s single to left center.

Clearfield’s first run resulted from an errant pickoff throw by Croft with Cole Kephart perched at third after belting a double to the left field fence and advancing on a groundout.

Herrington had two hits for the Bison, while Cunningham, Lewis and Mock each had a pair for the Scarlet Dragons.

Clearfield makes its shortest trip of the season Friday to take on Philipsburg-Osceola.

The junior varsity game also was a nail-biter, with Clearfield scoring two runs to tie it in the sixth and then winning 8-7 on Noah Cline’s walk-off single in the seventh.

Logan Puit paced the Bison with two triples, a single and four RBIS. Zach Krise had two singles and two RBIs. Winning pitcher Nate Brady also had two hits.

CENTRAL — 4

Austin Cunningham ss 3220, Ethan Lewis rf 4120, Jay Stern 1b 4011, Jared Ponder pr 0000, Kasy Hamm c 3011, Bradi Moore lf 4000, Zach Croft p 3100, A.J. Frederick cr 0000, Todd Slick c 0000, Mike Mock 2b 3020, Cole Kreider 3b 3010, Zach Slagenweit cf 3011.  TOTALS: 30  4  10  3.

CLEARFIELD — 3

Spencer Herrington 2b 3121, Curtis Collins lf 4000, Zach Timchak rf 0000, Thomas Summers dh 4000, Jon Janocko 1b 4011, Sawyer Rowles pr 0000, Cole Kephart ss 3110, Wyatt Westen cf 2000, Erik Sellers 3b 3010, Devin Jones p 1000, Josh Sorbera c 1100.  TOTALS: 25  3  5  2.

Score by Innings

Central        111 000 1 – 4  10  2
Clearfield     010 000 2 – 3   5  4
E – Croft, Kreider; Westen, Sellers 3. DP – Central 2 (Mock, Cunningham and Stern; Moore and Hamm). LOB – Central 7; Clearfield 8. 2B – Mock; Kephart. 3B – Cunningham; Herrington. SB – Cunningham 2, Slagenweit. CS – Slagenweit (by Sorbera).

Pitching

Central – Croft 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 1 K; Hamm 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.
Clearfield – Jones 7 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.
HB – Croft 1 (Kephart). WP – Hamm 1; Jones 1.
W – Croft. L – Jones (1-3). Save – Hamm.
Umpires – Scott Viehdorfer (plate) and Ron Walter (bases).

Bison Scoreboard: