SPRING MILLS — A bases-loaded single by Chase Collison in the bottom of the eighth inning gave Penns Valley a 4-3 comeback win over Clearfield in Mountain League schoolboy baseball action Friday.
Bison pitcher Zane Morgan was one out away from a victory in his first varsity start when a two-out misplay gave the Rams two runs that tied the score in the seventh.
After Collison retired the Bison in order in the eighth, No. 9 batter Jon Montresor greeted reliever Jake Sorbera with his third single of the game, Keith Butts followed with a hit and Corby Woodring was intentionally walked.
Collison then ended it with a line drive to left field off Will Myers.
The second one-run loss in three days left Clearfield 3-2 in the league and 3-3 overall.
Hitting troubles continued for the Bison as they were held to three singles by Luke Sharer and Collison, who picked up the win with 1-2/3 innings of hitless, scoreless relief.
Morgan and Sharer were locked in a pitching duel most of the way.
Clearfield broke on top in the first inning with Ty Bender singling home Justin Fedder, who had walked.
Two-out hits by Collison, Hunter Homan and Allen Cain got Penns Valley (3-4, 2-3 ML) even in the fifth frame, but the Bison benefited from three Ram miscues for singletons in the sixth and seventh.
A walk and Cain’s second single preceded the Bison’s lone error in the bottom of the seventh that sent the game to the extra inning.
Morgan worked from the stretch throughout his seven-inning stint, allowing 10 hits while walking four batters and hitting one, but he constantly frustrated the Rams by wiggling out of trouble.
One of his five strikeouts came with the bases loaded for the third out of the second inning, and the junior right-hander stranded pairs of runners in the fifth and sixth via flyouts.
Sharer kept the Bison at bay, too, despite walking six and hitting one in five-plus innings.
He added to Clearfield’s early-season hitting troubles by giving up only three singles before being replaced on the mound by Collison.
The Rams collected 13 hits with Collison matching Montresor’s three-single performance and Butts, Cain and Luke Snyder adding two hits apiece.
Next up for the Bison is a home game against undefeated league leader Philipsburg-Osceola Monday.
In the junior varsity game, Wyatt Porter pitched a two-hitter and Noah Rumsky drove in three runs as the Bison (3-2) triumphed 11-1. Eli Glass and Alec Graham each had two hits, and Porter had two RBIs.
Mountain League standings — Philipsburg-Osceola 5-0, Huntingdon 3-1, Clearfield 3-2, Bald Eagle Area 3-2, Central 3-2, Penns Valley 2-3, Tyrone 0-4, Bellefonte 0-5.
CLEARFIELD — 3
Justin Fedder 2b 3110, Zane Morgan p-rf 2000, Marcus Luzier 3b 3100, Brandon Orsich 1b 3110, Reese Wilson pr 0000, Ty Bender c 3011, Jon Trimpey lf 4000, Tommy Hazel cf 3000, Jake Sorbera rf-p 1001, Logan Lykens ph 1000, Thayne Morgan ss 1000, Will Myers ss-p 0000, Seth Bumbarger dh 3000. TOTALS: 25 3 3 2.
PENNS VALLEY — 4
Keith Butts lf 4020, Corby Woodring cf 4000, Chase Collison 1b-p 4131, Nate Gillespie ss 3110, Hunter Homan dh 3110, Allen Cain 3b 4121, Luke Sharer p 3000, Conner Dix 1b 1000, Luke Snyder c 3020, Dillon Steiger 2b 2000, Brad Musser ph 1000, Jon Montresor rf 4130. TOTALS: 33 4 13 2.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 100 001 10 – 3 3 1
Penns Valley 000 010 21 – 4 13 4
E – Myers; Cain, Steiger 3. DP – Clearfield 1 (Luzier, Fedder and Orsich); Penns Valley 1 (Gillespie, Steiger and Collison). LOB – Clearfield 8; Penns Valley 14 . 2B – Snyder. Sac – Bender, Trimpey. SF – Sorbera. SB – Fedder 2, Sorbera . CS – Trimpey (by Snyder); Butts (by Bender).
Pitching
Clearfield – Z. Morgan 7 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K; Sorbera 0 IP (faced 3 batters in 8th), 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K; Myers 0 IP (faced 1 batter in 8th), 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
Penns Valley – Sharer 5-1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 5 K; Collison 1-2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.
HB – Z. Morgan 1 (Steiger); Sharer 1 (Hazel). WP – Sorbera 1.
W – Collison (1-2). Sorbera (1-2).