HYDE — The Clearfield Area High School baseball team experienced more valleys than peaks during the 2013 season, but the Bison couldn’t have scripted a sweeter finish.
One day after stinging longtime Central Penn League and now Mountain League rival Philipsburg-Osceola 12-10 with a nine-run salvo in the fifth inning, the Bison produced an encore against longtime District 9 Class AAA nemesis Punxsutawney at the Bison Sports Complex Friday.
Cole Kephart blasted the first two home runs of his career, Thomas Summers came through with a key two-run single and Jon Janocko hammered a three-run homer to highlight a nine-run uprising in the sixth inning as the Bison roared from behind to defeat the Chucks 9-2.
Coach Sid Lansberry had no explanation for his 42nd Clearfield squad turning on the firepower after scoring four runs or less in nine games.
He just was elated to see the Bison explode against P-O and Punxsy.
“Those are two good wins for us,” he said. “It’s great to beat Punxsy. We have beaten them occasionally, but they’ve been tough on us.”
Nine also was the magic number the last time the Bison beat the Chucks. They had to go nine innings to prevail 9-8 on April 14, 2010.
Nobody saw Clearfield’s big rally coming.
For five innings, the regular season finale for both teams was a pitching duel with Punxsy sophomore Ryan Sloniger getting the better of Clearfield junior Devin Jones because of a run in the fourth on a two-out bases-loaded walk to No. 9 batter Taylor Phillips.
Sloniger gave up three singles, all in the second and third innings when the Bison stranded five runners, while striking out eight and walking three.
Jones was working on a four-hitter, having surrendered that lone run after a walk, a hit batsman and a swinging bunt hit by Dakotah Byers filled the sacks.
Punxsy turned Jones’ fourth free pass into what appeared to be an insurance run in the sixth frame. Garrett Zimmerman was safe at second due to Jones’ off-target throw on Byers’ sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a forceout and scored on a perfect suicide squeeze bunt by Phillips, the No. 9 batter.
It turned out the Chucks didn’t have nearly enough runs after Sloniger exited.
The Bison wasted no time going after Bush and quickly knotted the score 2-2.
After Janocko extended his hitting streak to seven games with a hard shot that hopped over third baseman John Matthews and rolled into the left field corner, Kephart crushed his first roundtripper, a towering fly ball that fell behind the deepest part of the BSC fence, off to the right of the 370-foot marker in center field.
All of the other runs crossed with two outs.
With one down, Wyatt Westen walked and Josh Kennedy’s high fly fell in no man’s land down the right field line.
Bush induced an infield pop-up for the second out but then couldn’t find the strike zone against Spencer Herrington and Curtis Collins, forcing in the go-ahead run.
Then, in rapid-fire fashion, Summers singled to right center to make it 5-2 and Janocko and Kephart slugged back-to-back home runs to left field.
“Those were big hits,” Lansberry said.
And they made Jones a winner for his six innings of five-hit pitching against a lineup with a .343 average.
“Jones pitched a real gem,” Lansberry praised his right-hander, who struck out eight in his third start after making nine relief appearances. “He hurt himself with a couple mental mistakes, but I thought he pitched excellent against a good hitting team.
“He had velocity, a good breaking ball and threw strikes. His breaking ball was sharp. It’s an overhand curveball. He threw some change-ups also. He’s got three pitches.
“He’s been coming on, and this is the best game he’s pitched.”
Janocko relieved Jones and allowed to two groundball singles while striking out two in closing out the Chucks, who will take a 13-7 record into the PIAA Playoffs June 3 as the District 9 Class AAA champion for the 10th year in a row.
Like Clearfield, St. Marys and Bradford found wins hard to come by during the season and did not enter the district tourney.
Had the Bison been able to flash the comeback form they exhibited against P-O and Punxsy in a couple of the many losses in which they saw leads dissipate, Lansberry would have had his Bison challenge the Chucks.
An 8-4 loss to Penns Valley Tuesday made up his mind.
“That’s the game we needed to win,” he explained. “At the time, you’re 5-12 with the deadline Wednesday, you can’t justify going.”
Lansberry was encouraged with the strong finish by the Bison, a team without a senior that wound up 7-12 after sitting 2-9 midway through the season.
“I’m pleased and hopeful for the future with the last two games we played, because all of these kids are back.” he said. “Actually, four of the last five have been good games.”
“We’ve had some close games. We’ve had some disappointments. But, overall, we’ve improved over the second half of the season. That’s good. That’s what you want with a young team.”
PUNXSUTAWNEY — 2
Ryan Sloniger p-c 4010, John Matthews 3b 4010, Ty Zimmerman ss 4000, Jamie Bush 1b-p 3110, Michael Klingensmith 2b 3010, Garrett Zimmerman c-1b 2110, Dakotah Byers cf 3010, Lance Pennington lf 0000, Hunter Hickok dh 2000, Ruben Taylor ph 1000, Taylor Phillips rf 2012. TOTALS: 27 2 7 2.
CLEARFIELD — 9
Spencer Herrington 2b 2100, Curtis Collins lf 3101, Thomas Summers rf-1b 4112, Jon Janocko 1b 3123, Sawyer Rowles pr 0100, Cole Kephart ss 4233, Devin Jones p 0000, Zach Timchak rf 0000, Logan Puit 4010, Wyatt Westen cf 2100, Josh Kennedy 3b 3120, Josh Sorbera c 1000, Erik Sellers ph 1000. TOTALS: 27 9 9 9.
Score by Innings
Punxsutawney 000 101 0 – 2 7 0
Clearfield 000 009 x – 9 9 2
E – Kephart, Jones. LOB – Punxsutawney 6; Clearfield . 2B – Bush; Janocko. HR – Janocko (4), Kephart 2 (2). Sac – Byers. SB – Matthews; Herrington.
Pitching
Punxsutawney – Sloniger 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K; Bush 1 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.
Clearfield – Jones 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K; Janocko 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
HB – Jones 1 (G. Zimmerman).
W – Jones (2-3). L – Bush.
Umpires – Terry Bean (plate) and Mike Campbell (bases).
Final Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 3/25 | @ Central | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 3/28 | @ Huntingdon | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 3/30 | @ Huntingdon | 18 – 7 | 1 – 0 |
| 4/01 | @ Central | ppd. | 1 – 0 |
| 4/03 | @ Bald Eagle Area | ppd. | 1 – 0 |
| 4/04 | @ Bald Eagle Aea | 3 – 8 | 1 – 1 |
| 4/05 | @ Bellefonte | 6 – 15 | 1 – 2 |
| 4/08 | @ Tyrone | 4 – 5 | 1 – 3 |
| 4/10 | @ Punxsutawney | 3 – 8 | 1 – 4 |
| 4/11 | PENNS VALLEY | ppd. | 1 – 4 |
| 4/12 | @ Central | ppd. | 1 – 4 |
| 4/15 | DUBOIS | 5 – 6 | 1 – 5 |
| 4/16 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | 8 – 15 | 1 – 6 |
| 4/19 | CENTRAL | ppd. | 1 – 6 |
| 4/22 | HUNTINGDON | 15 – 5 | 2 – 6 |
| 4/25 | BALD EAGLE AREA | 4 – 5 | 2 – 7 |
| 4/26 | @ Central | 9 – 11 | 2 – 8 |
| 4/29 | @ Central Mountain | 0 – 10 | 2 – 9 |
| 4/30 | BELLEFONTE | 2 – 1 | 3 – 9 |
| 5/03 | TYRONE | 3 – 10 | 3 – 10 |
| 5/06 | BROOKVILLE | 9 – 8 | 4 – 10 |
| 5/07 | @ Penns Valley | 6 – 4 | 5 – 10 |
| 5/08 | CENTRAL | 3 – 4 | 5 – 11 |
| 5/10 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | suspended | 5 – 11 |
| 5/13 | @ Bradford | cancelled | 5 – 11 |
| 5/14 | PENNS VALLEY | 4 – 8 | 5 – 12 |
| 5/16 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | 12 – 10 | 6 – 12 |
| 5/17 | PUNXSUTAWNEY | 9 – 2 | 7 – 12 |