CLEARFIELD — Two teams of visitors advanced to the winner’s bracket of the 20th annual Clearfield “Past-Your-Prime” Modified Fast-Pitch Softball Tournament with pairs of victories at Bucky Strunk Memorial Field Saturday.
The defending champion Bedford Over-The-Hillbillies tumbled Buster’s Sports Bar/Siegel Engraving 18-8 in six innings and Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub 4-2 in a clash between teams that have split the last four titles in the tourney for players 40-and-older.
Potter’s Bricklayers of Philipsburg laid the foundation for what they hope will be their eighth championship with wins over the Emporium Used-To-Be-Goods 7-0 and Bob Boob’s Garage 12-4.
Still alive in the elimination bracket are Denny’s, which bounced back to oust tourney newcomer Buster’s Downriver 20-0 in 3½ innings, as well as Boob’s and the Meatheads, opponents in Sunday’s first game at 9 a.m.
The showdown between Bedford and Potter’s in the winner’s bracket final will start at 10:15, followed by the elimination bracket semifinal at 11:30, the elimination bracket final at 12:45 p.m. and the championship game at 2. If another game is necessary, the first pitch will be at approximately 3:15.
A pair of two-run homers by Jim Harshbarger highlighted a 23-hit attack by Bedford against Buster’s/Siegel’s that included four hits by Harshbarger, Pete Coy and Mike Rose.
Scott Whysaw and Rob Koontz contributed three safeties apiece.
Rick Stewart blasted a two-run homer for Buster’s/Siegel’s that briefly knotted the score at 2-2 after one inning, but the Over-The-Hillbillies posted crooked numbers in four of the next five innings.
Chris Theys was the winning pitcher and then outdueled Randy Sones by shutting out Denny’s over the last six innings after Randy Hutton gave the 2010 and 2012 champs a 2-0 start in the first frame.
Bill Bumgardner’s sacrifice fly snapped a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning.
Matt Whysaw had a pair of RBIs for Bedford, while Bill Lindstrom collected three hits for Denny’s.
Good pitching kept Potter’s in control of its wins, Terry Potter blanking Emporium on five hits and Jerry Watson keeping Boob’s in check by spacing eight singles.
Boob’s had spoiled the debut for Buster’s Downriver 7-0 with Bob Gearhart authoring a three-hitter.
Denny’s enjoyed the comeback of the day in the tourney opener, scoring six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to erase a 5-1 deficit and stun the Meatheads 7-5.
Hutton capped the rally with a two-run double for the game-winning hit.
Meathead Jack Rumfola had three of the six hits surrendered by winning hurler Sones. All of the runs off him were unearned.
Sones spun a two-hitter against Buster’s Downriver in the final game of the day.
Bob Lewis, Steve Terry, Greg Hanes and Scott Cochran had three hits and three RBIs apiece for Denny’s.
Rumfola led the Meatheads to a bounce back 8-6 win over Buster’s/Siegel’s in the first elimination game. He cracked four hits, including a triple and a double, and drove in four runs.
Mike Moskel worked a five-hitter for the victory.
Larry Conklin was the winning pitcher as Buster’s Downriver squeezed past Emporium 11-10 in elimination bracket action.
First Round
Meatheads 302 000 0 – 5 6
Denny’s 010 060 x – 7 8
WP – Randy Sones (1-0). LP – Mike Moskel (0-1).
Three hits – (M) Jack Rumfola. Two hits – (D) Steve Terry, Todd Vanderburgh.
2B – (M) Mark Luzier; (D) Randy Hutton, Scott Cochran.
* * * * *
Bedford 242 038 – 18 23
Buster’s/Siegel’s 204 020 – 8 7
WP – Chris Theys (1-0). LP – Mick Kolar (0-1).
Four hits – (B) Pete Coy, Mike Rose, Jim Harshbarger. Three hits – (B) Scott Whysaw, Rob Koontz. Two hits – (B) Matt Whysaw, Bill Bumgardner; (B/S) Rick Stewart, Tom Hibbert.
HR – (B) Harshbarger 2; (B/S) Stewart. 3B – (B) M. Whysaw, Brett Cessna, Harshbarger, Bumgardner; (B/S) Hibbert.
* * * * *
Potter’s 010 220 2 – 7 10
Emporium 000 000 0 – 0 5
WP – Terry Potter (1-0). LP – Dave Lyon (0-1).
Two hits – (P) Keith Hahn, Rob Emigh; (E) Pat Lewis.
2B – (P) Paul Lamb, Harold Hahn, Emigh.
* * * * *
Buster’s Downriver 000 000 0 – 0 3
Bob Boob’s 010 210 0 – 7 7
WP – Bob Gearhart (1-0). LP – Larry Conklin (0-1).
Two hits – (BB) Brent Lykens.
* * * * * * * * * *
Elimination Bracket First Round
Meatheads 001 400 2 – 8 11
Buster’s/Siegel’s 011 011 2 – 6 5
WP – Moskel (1-1). L – Kolar (0-2).
Four hits – (M) Rumfola. Two hits (M) Denny Nosker; (B/S) Gary Springer.
3B – (M) Pat Gerg, Mark Luzier. 2B – (B/S) Joe Hess.
* * * * *
Emporium 10
Buster’s Downriver 11
WP – Conklin (1-1). L – Lyon (0-2).
Two hits – (BD) Doug Saltsman.
2B – (BD) Lyle Domico, Tim English.
* * * * * * * * * *
Winner’s Bracket Semifinals
Denny’s 200 000 0 – 2 10
Bedford 002 110 x – 4 9
WP – Theys (2-0). L – Sones (1-1).
Three hits – (D) Bill Lindstrom. Two hits (D) Bob Lewis, Hutton, Chuck Erskine; (B) Lee Roy, Harshbarger.
3B – (D) Denny Billotte; (B) S. Whysaw. 2B – (D) Hutton; (B) Harshbarger.
* * * * *
Potter’s 700 400 1 – 12 16
Bob Boob’s 010 210 0 – 4 8
WP – Jerry Watson (1-0). LP – Gearhart (1-1).
Four hits – (P) Keith Hahn. Three hits – (P) Jimmy Thal, Jeff McDonald; (BB) Brian Barr. Two hits – (P) Gary Folmar.
* * * * * * * * * *
Elimination Bracket Quarterfinal
Buster’s Downriver 0 00 0 – 0 2
Denny’s (11)45 x – 20 16
WP – Sones (2-1). L – Conklin (1-2).
Three hits – (D) B. Lewis, Terry, Greg Hanes, Cochran. Two hits – Erskine.
2B – (D) Terry, Hutton, Hanes.
TOURNAMENT SCOREBOARD
Saturday, Aug. 9
First Round
Game 1 – Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub 7, Meatheads 5 Game 2 – Bedford Over-the-Hillbillies 18, Buster’s Sports Bar/Siegel Engraving 8 (6 innings) Game 3 – Potter’s Bricklayers 7, Emporium Used-To-Be-Goods 0 Game 4 – Bob Boob’s Garage 7, Buster’s Downriver 0
Elimination Bracket First Round
Game 5 – Meatheads 8, Buster’s/Siegel’s 6 Game 6 – Buster’s Downriver 11, Emporium 10
Winner’s Bracket Semifinals
Game 7 – Bedford 4, Denny’s 2 Game 8 – Potter’s 12, Bob Boob’s 4
Elimination Bracket Quarterfinal
Game 9 – Denny’s 20, Buster’s Downriver 0 (3½ innings)
Sunday, Aug. 10
Elimination Bracket Quarterfinal
Game 10 – Bob Boob’s vs. Meatheads, 9 a.m.
Winner’s Bracket Final
Game 11 – Bedford vs. Potters, 10:15 a.m.
Elimination Bracket Semifinal
Game 12 – Game 10 Winner vs. Denny’s, 11:30 a.m.
Elimination Bracket Final
Game 13 – Game 11 Loser vs. Game 12 Winner, 12:45 p.m.
Championship
Game 14 – Game 11 Winner vs. Game 13 Winner, 2 p.m. Game 15 (if necessary) – Game 13 Winner vs. Game 13 Loser, 3:15 p.m.