MARTINSBURG — Central scored four runs without a hit in the first inning and then rode Jarrett Imler’s three-hit pitching to a 6-0 Mountain League victory over Clearfield in high school baseball action Thursday.
Senior Logan Lykens experienced control problems in his first varsity mound debut for the Bison, walking four of the five Scarlet Dragons he faced.
Three of them scored on an error, a bases-loaded free pass to Imler and, after Tommy Hazel relieved Lykens, a groundout by Larry Corle.
After Hazel issued the fifth walk of the inning, Mike Speck plated the fourth run with a sacrifice fly.
That was more than enough for Imler, who lowered his earned run average to 1.03 with the shutout.
The junior right-hander struck out five and walked two in his first complete game.
The Bison had only one runner reach second base in falling to 5-4.
Both teams are 4-3 in the league and tied with Bald Eagle Area for third place, just one game behind Philipsburg-Osceola, which was upended by Tyrone, 4-3, Thursday.
Hazel gave Clearfield five solid innings, allowing only two hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
He gave up one run, a fifth-inning homer by Chase Smith.
Central (7-4) added a run off Reese Wilson in the sixth when Brice Brumbaugh doubled and Alex Hoenstine tripled.
The Bison will go to Tyrone Saturday for a 1 p.m. makeup game.
Clearfield’s junior varsity team (5-3) rolled to a 15-0 win in five innings as Eli Glass pitched a two-hitter while Noah Rumsky and Alec Graham were sparking the offense.
Rumsky drove in four runs with three hits and also scored four runs. Graham had three hits, two RBIs and two runs scored. Jarrit Wagner and Wyatt Porter chipped in two hits apiece.
Mountain League Standings — Philipsburg-Osceola 5-2, Huntingdon 4-2, Clearfield 4-3, Bald Eagle Area 4-3, Central 4-3, Tyrone 2-4, Bellefonte 2-5, Penns Valley 2-5.
CLEARFIELD — 0
Justin Fedder 2b 3010, Zane Morgan c 3000, Brandon Orsich 1b 1000, Marcus Luzier 3b 3000, Ty Bender rf 3000, Logan Lykens p 1000, Reese Wilson cf-p 2010, Tommy Hazel cf-p-cf 3000, Jon Trimpey lf 2010, Thayne Morgan ss 1000, Jake Sorbera ph 1000, Will Myers ss 0000. TOTALS: 23 0 3 0.
CENTRAL — 6
Alex Hoenstine ss 3121, Jake Muthler 3b 2100, John Johnson ph 1000, Cordell Bowser rf 0000, Josh McKnight dh 1100, Chase Smith cf 3212, Jarrett Imler p 2001, Larry Corle 2b 2001, Damon Langer ph 1000, J.M. Knepp 1b 1000, Brice Brumbaugh ph 1110, Mike Speck lf 1000, Hunter Leibal lf 1000, Landon Mock c 2000, Brady Nicewonger ph 1000. TOTALS: 22 6 4 5.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 000 000 0 – 0 3 1
Central 400 011 x – 6 4 0
E – Myers. LOB – Clearfield 4; Central 5. 2B – Brumbaugh. 3B – Hoenstine. HR – Smith. SF – Speck. SB – T. Morgan; Hoenstine.
Pitching
Clearfield – Lykens 0 IP (faced 5 batters in 1st inning), 0 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 0 K; Hazel 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; Wilson 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.
Central – Imler 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.
PO – Imler 1 (Fedder).
W – Imler (3-1). L – Lykens (0-1).
Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 3/29 | CENTRAL | 11 – 5 | 1 – 0 |
| 4/01 | HUNTINGDON | 3 – 1 | 2 – 0 |
| 4/04 | BELLEFONTE | ppd. | 2 – 0 |
| 4/05 | BELLEFONTE | ppd. | 2 – 0 |
| 4/06 | BELLEFONTE | 3 – 0 | 3 – 0 |
| 4/07 | @ Tyrone | ppd. | 3 – 0 |
| 4/08 | @ Punxsutawney | 4 – 9 | 3 – 1 |
| 4/11 | CURWENSVILLE | ppd. | 3 – 1 |
| 4/12 | BALD EAGLE AREA | ppd. | 3 – 1 |
| 4/13 | BALD EAGLE AREA | 1 – 2 | 3 – 2 |
| 4/15 | @ Penns Valley | 3 – 4 | 3 – 3 |
| 4/18 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | 4 – 2 | 4 – 3 |
| 4/19 | @ Brookville | 7 – 2 | 5 – 3 |
| 4/21 | @ Central | 0 – 6 | 5 – 4 |
| 4/23 | @ Tyrone | ||
| 4/26 | @ Huntingdon | ||
| 4/29 | @ Bellefonte | ||
| 5/02 | TYRONE | ||
| 5/03 | @ Curwensville | ||
| 5/05 | @ Bald Eagle Area | ||
| 5/09 | @ The Kiski School | ||
| 5/10 | PENNS VALLEY | ||
| 5/13 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | ||
| 5/17 | DUBOIS | ||
| 5/19 | CURWENSVILLE |