HYDE — The Clearfield American Legion baseball team fought back from a five-run deficit to forge a tie in the fifth inning, but Bellefonte scored a run in the top of the seventh to pull out a 6-5 victory at the Bison Sports Complex Thursday evening.
The important Central Penn League game ultimately was decided by Zack Musser’s bases-loaded squibber that spun to a stop just inside the first base line as Noah Perryman crossed the plate.
The loss knocked the Post 6 Chiefs (7-7) out of a tie for fourth place, with the Bandits (7-6) vaulting past them.
Four consecutive hits off Jon Janocko to start the game gave Bellefonte three quick runs, and a pair of Clearfield errors on David Keller’s fly ball to left field gave the Bandits two more markers for a 5-0 getaway.
The Chiefs got two runs back in the lower first. A walk and singles by Sawyer Rowles and Cole Kephart filled the sacks for Janocko, whose groundout sent Curt Collins home. Rowles then scored on a wild pitch by Dan Roan.
Clearfield loaded the bases again in the fourth inning when Roan walked Janocko and hit Brandon Orsich and Josh Sorbera beat out an infield single. With one out, Thomas Summers slugged a double to left center for two RBIs.
The tying run resulted from an errant relay throw on Collins’ triple to right center in the fifth frame.
Summers was the tough-luck loser after relieving Janocko in the third inning, pitching out of a bases-loaded situation and then shutting out the Bandits until the seventh.
Roan went the distance for the win, allowing seven hits and four earned runs while striking out seven and walking five.
Rowles had a pair of singles for the Chiefs.
Clearfield, 9-9 overall, winds up the regular season with a road game against State College at Shaner Field Monday and a home game against DuBois at the Lawrence Township Rec Park Field Wednesday.
BELLEFONTE — 6
Seth Weaver lf 2120, Ryan McElwee ss 4111, Anthony Montressor 3b 2111, Dan Roan p 4111, Noah Perryman 3b 3120, Zach Williams 1b 1010, David Keller cf 3110, Gehrig Schuster c 3000, Zack Musser 2b 4011, David Fox rf 3000. TOTALS: 21 6 10 4.
CLEARFIELD — 5
Curt Collins 2b 2210, Sawyer Rowles cf 4120, Cole Kephart ss 4010, Jon Janocko p-1b 1101, Brandon Orsich 3b 1100, Josh Sorbera c 3010, Zach Timchak rf 3000, Thomas Summers lf-p 3012, Logan Lykens 1b-eh 3010, Jake Sorbera eh-lf 2000. TOTALS: 26 5 7 3.
Score by Innings
Bellefonte 500 000 1 – 6 10 2
Clearfield 200 210 0 – 5 7 3
E – McElwee, Schuster; Janocko, Josh Sorbera, Summers. DP – Bellefonte 1 (Montressor and Williams); Clearfield 1 (Summers, Josh Sorbera and Janocko). LOB – Bellefonte 10; Clearfield 7. 2B – Weaver, Montressor, Perryman; Summers. 3B – Collins. SB – Weaver 2, Williams.
Pitching
Bellefonte – Roan 7 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 7 K.
Clearfield – Janocko 2-1/3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 1 K; Summers 4-2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K.
HB – Roan 1 (Orsich). WP – Roan 1. PO – Janocko 1 (Williams).
W – Roan. L – Summers (2-3).
