CLEARFIELD — After digesting a tough 1-0 loss to defending champion Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub in their opener, the Bedford Over-The-Hillbillies bounced back with four consecutive, decisive wins Saturday and Sunday to ascend to the summit of the 19th annual Clearfield Modified Fast-Pitch “Past-Your-Prime” Softball Tournament at Bucky Strunk Memorial Field.
The championship of the wood bat tourney for players 40 years of age and older is the second in three years for the Over-The-Hillbillies, who out-hit their final four opponents 49-23, played outstanding defense and got solid pitching from Chris Theys and Bobby Kendall except for one inning.
In the premier match-up of the new pool-play format that supplanted the double-elimination set-up of previous years, Denny’s Lucky Prestash matched goose eggs with Theys for six innings.
Then, the Clearfield team gunning for its third title in four years broke through on Bill Lindstrom’s single that drove in Fred St. Clair, who had walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.
Prestash’s four-hit shutout on the heels of a six-hitter by Randy Sones in a 12-3 victory over Siegel Engraving/Buster’s Sports Bar gave Denny’s the top spot in Pool B.
Bedford began its run to the title by locking up the Pool B second seed with Theys and Bobby Kendall combining for a one-hitter to blank Siegel’s/Buster’s 12-0. Theys worked four innings and Kendall closed it out the Mercy Rule win with one hitless frame.
Theys and Scott Whysong paced Bedford’s 11-hit attack with two singles apiece, while Todd Fedder‘s triple averted a no-hitter for Siegel’s/Buster’s.
In Pool B, Potter’s Bricklayers of Philipsburg swept the Emporium-Used-To-Be Goods 11-1 in six innings and the Meatheads 3-2 to earn a quarterfinal bye for Sunday’s single-elimination bracket.
Terry Potter checked Emporium on one hit and was backed by Travis Henry’s double and two singles and pairs of hits by Keith Hahn and Barry Kline.
Jerry Watson picked up the ‘W’ against the Meatheads as he bested Chris Peacock. They surrendered just four hits, with Kline’s sacrifice fly snapping the 2-2 tie in the third inning.
Kline and Peacock, who tripled, each had two hits.
Peacock belted three hits, two of them doubles, and drove in three runs while Denny Nosker and Russell Bumbarger chipped in two singles apiece for the Meatheads in a tourney-opening 7-4 victory over Emporium.
Winner Mike Moskel allowed only four hits.
Sunday morning, Bedford ousted Emporium 14-9 after falling behind 6-3 in the first inning and the Meatheads sidelined Siegel’s/Buster’s 6-3.
Brett Cessna’s three-run homer, Lee Roy’s two doubles and a single, Mark Whysong’s double and two singles and Pete Coy’s three singles highlighted a 19-hit attack by Bedford that supported Kendall.
Siegel’s/Buster’s came from behind twice to tie the Meatheads before RBI singles by Jason Gerg and Peacock in the fifth inning decided the outcome. Tom Danver’s second single drove in the final run in the sixth. Peacock pitched a six-hitter for the win.
In the first semifinal, Theys scattered six hits and Bedford erupted for five runs off Potter in the fourth inning to eliminate Potter’s 7-0.
A two-run single by Roy was the big hit in Bedford’s outburst. Jim Harshberger and Theys followed with RBI singles.
Hillbillies Harshberger and Kendall had two hits apiece, as did Kevin Hahn for the Bricklayers.
Then, Denny’s scored three runs in the first inning, two on Steve Terry’s triple, and rode Sones’ three-hitter to a 5-2 victory over the Meatheads. Sones retired 18 of the last 19 batters he faced.
In the championship game, Bedford made sure the rematch with Prestash and the Pubbers wouldn’t go down to the wire again by scoring in each of the first five innings.
Scott Wysong’s run-scoring single and two errors got the Over-The-Hillbillies off to a 2-0 start, Rob Koontz singled home a run in the second, Cessna clouted a solo homer in the third, Theys delivered a sacrifice fly in the fourth and Cessna and Matt Whysong added RBI singles in the fifth.
Denny’s collected three of their five hits in the third inning, with Bill Williams spoiling Theys’ bid for a second shutout in a row with an RBI single. After that, the runners-up had only one more base-runner on a one-out walk in the fifth frame as Theys cruised to his third tourney win.
Scott Whysong joined Cessna in the two-hit column for the champs.
Terry and Greg Hanes had two hits apiece off Theys.
A spokesman for the tournament committee expressed thanks to all businesses and individuals who made donations, including all the food sold at the concession, as well as the umpires, Bob and Buzzy Moore for providing the sound system and music both days and members of the U.S. Marine Corps League’s Sergeant William L. Dixon Detachment in Clearfield for their assistance with the fund-raisers.
Jody Vezza of Clearfield was the winner of the 50-50 and Andy Vezza was the winner of the computer donated by the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Woodland.
Tourney proceeds will go to the USMC League’s “Toys for Tots” Program.
CHAMPIONSHIP
DENNY’S BEER BARREL PUB — 1
Bill Lindstrom cf 2000, Ken Erskine 1b-lf 4000, Steve Terry ss 3020, Randy Hutton lf-1b 3100, Greg Hanes 3b 3020, Dennis Billotte 2b 3000, Bill Williams rf 3011, Fred St. Clair c 3000, Lucky Prestash p 0000, Chuck Erskine dh 3000. TOTALS: 36 1 5 1.
BEDFORD OVER-THE-HILLBILLIES — 7
Pete Coy rf 3000, Mike Rose lf 4110, Scott Whysong ss 3221, Brett Cessna cf 3222, Mike Whysong 3b 3011, Lee Roy c 2100, Jim Harshberger 1b 2000, Bobby Kendall eh 2010, Chris Theys p 1101, Rob Koontz 2b 3021. TOTALS: 26 7 9 6.
Score by Innings
Denny’s 000 100 0 – 1 5 4
Bedford 211 120 x – 7 9 1
E – Lindstrom, Terry, Hutton, Williams; Roy. LOB – Denny’s 5; Bedford 7. 2B – Rose, S. Whysong. HR – Cessna. Sac – Kendall. SF – Theys. SB – S. Whysong.
Pitching
Denny’s – Prestash 6 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K.
Bedford – Theys 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.
WP – Prestash 2.
W – Theys. L – Prestash.
Umpires – Tim Rupp (plate) and Shane Harper (bases).
* * * * * * * * * *
CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS
Meatheads 110 000 0 – 2 3
Denny’s 300 020 x – 5 6
W – Randy Sones. L – Mike Moskel.
3B – Jason Gerg (M); Terry (D). 2B – Hanes (D).
—–
Potter’s 000 000 0 – 0 6
Bedford 000 520 x – 7 10
W – Theys. L – Terry Potter.
Two Hits – Kevin Hahn (P); Hershberger, Kendall (B).
3B – Rose (B). 2B – Harold Hahn (P).
* * * * * * * * *
CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERFINALS
Siegel’s/Buster’s 000 210 0 – 3 6
Meatheads 200 121 x – 6 8
W – Chris Peacock. L – Mick Kolar.
Two Hits – Tom Danver (M).
3B – Todd Freeland (S/B). 2B – Dave Patrick (M).
—–
Bedford 370 130 0 – 14 19
Emporium 610 100 1 – 9 10
W – Kendall. L – Dave Lyon.
Three Hits – Coy, M. Whysong, Roy (B); Pat Lewis (E). Two Hits – Rose, Theys (B); Bucket Hallowell (E).
HR – Cessna (B). 2B – M. Whysong, Roy 2, Kendall (B); Hallowell, Randy Garzell (E).
* * * * * * * * * *
POOL A
Emporium 000 013 0 – 4 4
Meatheads 140 200 x – 7 12
W – Moskel. L – Lyon.
Three Hits – Peacock (M). Two Hits – Denny Nosker, Russell Bumbarger (M).
3B – Lewis (M). 2B – Nosker, Peacock 2 (M).
—–
Emporium 000 010 – 1 1
Potter’s 303 311 – 11 13
W – T. Potter. L – Lyon.
Three Hits – Henry (P). Two Hits – Keith Hahn, Barry Kline (P).
2B – Henry, Kevin Hahn, Rob Harris (P).
—
Potter’s 021 000 0 – 3 4
Meatheads 200 000 0 – 2 4
W – Jerry Watson. L – Peacock.
Two Hits – Kline (P); Peacock (M).
3B – Peacock (M).
* * * * * * * * * * *
POOL B
Siegel’s/Buster’s 001 200 0 – 3 6
Denny’s 450 012 x – 12 8
W – Sones. L – Bill Kozlovac.
Two Hits – Todd Stiner (S/B); Billotte, Williams, Pork Anderson (D)
3B – Williams (D). 2B – Stiner (S/B).
—–
Denny’s 000 000 1 – 1 9
Bedford 000 000 0 – 0 4
W – Prestash. L – Theys.
Two Hits – Lindstrom, Hanes, Billotte (D).
2B – Billotte (D); S. Whysong, M. Whysong (B).
—–
Siegel’s/Buster’s 000 00 – 0 1
Bedford 521 4x – 12 11
W – Theys. L – Kozlovac.
Two Hits – S. Whysong, Theys (B).
3B – Todd Fedder (S/B); Hershberger (B). 2B – Cessna, M. Whysong (B).