CLARENCE — Devin Jones fashioned a three-hit shutout and the Clearfield American Legion Post 6 baseball team collected a season-high nine hits in a 7-0 win over Clarence Sunday evening that thrust the Chiefs into the Central Penn League playoff picture.
Unless Beech Creek or Altoona do not reach the minimum 12 games the CPL requires for entering the double-elimination tourney that begins Friday, the Chiefs will need at least one more victory to overtake Bellefonte for the eighth playoff berth.
Clearfield (5-13-1, 3-11 CPL) goes to Mifflin County Tuesday before closing the regular season with make-up games at Philipsburg Wednesday and home against Philipsburg Thursday.
Jones made it back-to-back wins and complete games in six days for the Chiefs with his fifth route-going performance in eight starts. He struck out a career-high nine Mounties while walking two and hitting one.
Clarence (5-9-1) never had a runner reach second base until the seventh inning when losing pitcher Otis Statham walked and Jarrett Shaffer walked before Jones finished strong, striking out the final two batters.
Clearfield, which lost 9-0 to Clarence back on June 5, got hits from eight players and scored in five innings to build on Tuesday’s 4-1 win over State College.
Curtis Collins led off the game with a walk, stole second and scored on an error for the only run Jones would need, but the Chiefs kept increasing the margin.
Small ball made it 3-0 in the second as Josh Kennedy walked, Zach Timchak sacrificed and Jones singled for one run and after Collins walked again, the Chiefs executed a double steal for another marker.
Kennedy and Timchak, who had two hits, delivered run-scoring singles in the third frame.
Ronny Ogden and Thomas Summers added RBI hits in the fourth and sixth innings, respectively.
Central Penn League standings – DuBois 10-1, Mifflin County 13-3, Beech Creek 8-3, State College 8-7, Philipsburg 7-6, Altoona 4-5-1, Clarence 5-9-1, Clearfield 3-11, Bellefonte 3-12, Hollidaysburg 2-6. (Hollidaysburg has withdrawn from league).
CLEARFIELD — 7
Curtis Collins cf 2100, Cole Kephart ss 3210, Thomas Summers 1b 2010, Erik Sellers 1b 1011, Ronny Ogden lf 4012, Brandon Orsich 2b 3110, Logan Lykens 2b 1000, Josh Sorbera c 4010, Josh Kennedy 3b 2211, Kaleb Taylor 1b 0000, Zach Timchak rf 2021, Devin Jones p 2011. TOTALS: 26 7 9 6.
CLARENCE — 0
Jeff Koleno ss-p 3010, Tyler Schall 1b 2000, Ben Verbitskey cf 3010, Nate Cleaver 2b 3000, Otis Statham p-ss 2000, Jarrett Shaffer lf 2010, Tanner Light 3b 3000, Jon Romine c 3000, A.J. Onder rf 3000. TOTALS: 24 0 3 0.
Score by Innings
Clearfield    122 101 0 – 7 9 1
Clarence     000 000 0 – 0 3 2
E – Sellers; Cleaver, Romine. PB – Romine 3. DP – Clarence 1 (Verbitskey and Schall). LOB – Clearfield 8; Clarence 6. 2B – Kephart. SB – Collins 2, Jones. CS – Timchak (by Koleno); Schall (by Sorbera).
Pitching
Clearfield – Jones 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K.
Clarence – Statham 2-2/3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 4 K; Koleno 4-1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER< 4 BB, 3 K.
HB – Jones 1 (Shaffer). WP – Statham 2, Koleno 1. PO – Koleno 2 (Taylor, Timchak).
W – Jones (2-6). L – Statham.
