LEWISTOWN — Six errors offset a season-high 11 hits as the Clearfield American Legion Post 6 baseball team fell 8-5 to host Mifflin County in Central Penn League action Tuesday evening.
The loss dropped the Chiefs to 3-12 and put the pressure on them to win at least one of their two remaining games, Wednesday at Philipsburg and Thursday at home against the Phils, to slip into the CPL Playoffs that get under way Friday.
Spencer Herrington became the first Chief to collect more than two hits in a game, singling three times.
Thomas Summers, Cole Kephart and Ronny Ogden chimed in with two hits apiece. Both of Kephart’s were doubles.Â
Clearfield, 5-14-1 overall, got off to one of its best starts of the season with three runs in the top of the first inning.
Curtis Collins reached base on an error and came around to score on hits by Herrington and Summers, who owns a seven-game hittting streak. Kephart followed with his first two-bagger and Ogden delivered a sacrifice fly.
Mifflin County (17-6, 14-3 CPL) made it 3-2 in the bottom of the inning and then went in front with three runs in the third frame right after Clearfield had hiked its lead to 4-2 when Summers singled and scored on a wild pitch after Kephart doubled.
The winners chased Ogden with four hits, including back-to-back triples by Kyle Bodtorf and Isaac Strohecker. Following a Clearfield miscue, Hayden Snook singled across the equalizer and Cy Treaster doubled in the go-ahead run before Summers replaced Ogden on the mound.
A controversial balk call on Summers cost Clearfield what proved to be the deciding marker in the fifth inning, and Mifflin County tacked on two insurance runs, both unearned because of three errors, in the sixth inning.
The Chiefs had made it 6-5 in the top of the sixth when Herrington drove in Brandon Orsich, who had singled and moved into scoring position on a groundout.
Ogden took the loss as he surrendered six hits and five runs, four earned, before giving way to Summers, who pitched two-hit ball and allowed one earned run in 3-2/3 innings.
Ross Torquato, the third Mifflin County hurler, earned the win by limiting the Chiefs to five hits and one run over the last four innings.
Central Penn League Standings – DuBois 11-1, Mifflin County 14-3, Beech Creek 8-4, State College 10-7, Philipsburg 8-7, Clarence 5-10-1, Altoona 4-6-1, Bellefonte 3-12, Clearfield 3-12, Hollidaysburg 2-6. (Hollidaysburg withdrew from league)
CLEARFIELD — 5
Curtis Collins cf 4100, Spencer Herrington 2b 4131, Thomas Summers 1b-p 4221, Cole Kephart ss 4021, Ronny Ogden p-lf 2021, Kyler Kephart lf-1b 4000, Josh Kennedy 3b-rf 3000, Zach Timchak c 3010, Devin Jones rf 2000, Brandon Orsich 3b 1110. TOTALS: 31 5 11 4.
MIFFLIN COUNTY — 8
Kyle Bodtorf cf 2210, Isaac Strohecker 3b 3321, Heath Hidlay p-lf 3111, Luke McKay ss 3222, Hayden Snook 1b 3011, Cy Treaster c 4011, Max Remy 2b 2000, Jake Larson rf 3000, Walker lf 0000, Blayz Shartzer p 1000, Ross Torquato p 2000. TOTALS: 26 8 8 6.
Score by Innings
Clearfield            301 001 0 – 5 11 6
Mifflin County      203 012 0 – 8  8 2
E – Herrington, Summers 3, C. Kephart, Orsich; McKay, Remy. PB – Timchak 1. DP – Mifflin County 2 (Bodtorf and Remy; McKay, Remy and Snook). LOB – Clearfield 7; Mifflin County 7. 2B – C. Kephart 2; Hidlay, McKay, Treaster. 3B – Bodtorf, Strohecker. Sac – Snook. SF – Ogden; McKay. SB – Herrington.
Pitching
Clearfield – Ogden 2-1/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Summers 3-2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K.
Mifflin County – Hidlay 1+ IP (faced 1 batter in 2nd), 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K Shartzer 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K; Torquato 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.
HB – Summers 1 (Bodtorf). WP – Ogden 2; Torquato 1. Balk – Summers 1. PO – Summers 1 (Treaster).
W – Torquato. L – Ogden (2-4).
