BELLEFONTE — Tyler Kreger’s walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning gave Bellefonte a 4-3 win and ended the Clearfield Area High School baseball team’s slim hopes of sharing the Mountain League title Wednesday.
The Bison, behind the pitching of Brandon Orsich, carried a 3-1 lead into the sixth frame, but the Red Raiders knotted the make-up game with four hits, including a run-scoring single by Cade Fortney, and a bases-loaded walk to Kreger.
Clearfield (9-7) threatened in the seventh when Justin Fedder and Marcus Luzier drew walks and Eli Glass singled, but Bellefonte reliever Adam Armstrong got the third out on a fly ball.
Orsich, who had blanked the Red Raiders 3-0 with a two-hitter on April 6, then closed out his seventh consecutive seven-inning outing by setting down the hosts in order.
The senior ace struck out nine and walked two while surrendering nine hits.
Coach Sid Lansberry turned to Glass in the bottom of the eighth frame after Armstrong had induced three more flyball outs around a pinch-hit single by Will Myers.
Glass, a freshman making his mound debut, hit Fortney and gave up a single and a walk before Kreger made Armstrong the winner.
Logan Mathieu had staked Bellefonte (8-11) to the early lead with his third home run and 18th RBI of the season.
The Bison went in front by pecking away at Dominic Masullo, who allowed four hits and three walks while whiffing eight in his six-inning stint.
Zane Morgan doubled and scored the equalizer in the third, Glass singled and came around on a pair of errors in the fourth and Jon Trimpey singled and scored on Marcus Luzier’s hit in the fifth.
Glass had two hits for the Bison, who are 7-6 for their league finale at Philipsburg-Osceola Friday.
Fedder walked three times but saw his 11-game hitting streak, one of the longest by a Bison in years, halted as he flied out in his lone official at-bat.
The extra-inning loss was the second for the Bison, who were beaten by the same score at Penns Valley April 15.
Kreger paced the Red Raiders, 6-7 in the ML, with three hits. Forney, Helms and Garrett Reiter each had a pair of singles.
The Clearfield junior varsity padded its record to 11-3 with a 9-5 victory.
Alec Graham and Jarrit Wagner had two hits and two RBIs apiece and Ethan McGinnis tripled, drew three walks and scored two runs. Graham also scored twice. Hunter Hipps was the winning pitcher.
CLEARFIELD — 3
Zane Morgan c 5110, Justin Fedder 2b 1000, Jon Trimpey lf 3110, Marcus Luzier 3b 3011, Brandon Orsich p 0000, Eli Glass dh-p 4120, Jake Sorbera rf 3000, Reese Wilson cf 4000, Seth Bumbarger 1b 3000, Will Myers ph 1010, Thayne Morgan ss 4000. TOTALS: 31 3 6 1.
BELLEFONTE — 4
Tyler Kreger 3b 4032, Dylan Deitrich ss 3000, Logan Mathieu b 3111, Mark Armstrong 1000, Nick Jabco lf 4110, Dominic Masullo p 0000, Adam Armstrong p 0000, Storm Smith dh 4000, Cade Fortney rf 3221, Tanner Helms cf 3020, Garrett Reiter 2b 4020, Greg Watson c 1000, Gehrig Schuster ph 1000, Reese Lucas ph 1000, Cooper Crunick c 0000. TOTALS: 32 4 11 4.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 001 110 00 – 3 6 1
Bellefonte 100 002 01 – 4 11 4
E – Sorbera; Kreger, Mathieu. DP – Clearfield 1 (Fedder, T. Morgan and Bumbarger). LOB – Clearfield 10; Bellefonte 11. 2B – Jabco. HR – Mathieu. Sac – Sorbera. SB – Z. Morgan, Fedder 2; Fortney.
Pitching
Clearfield – Orsich 7 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K; Glass 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.
Bellefonte – Masullo 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K; A. Armstrong 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K.
HB – Masullo 1 (); A. Armstrong 1 (). WP – Masullo 3.
W – A. Armstrong (2-1). L – Glass (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 | 7 – 0 | 6 – 4 |
| 4/26 | @ Huntingdon | 2 – 5 | 6 – 5 |
| 4/29 | @ Bellefonte | ppd. | 6 – 5 |
| 5/02 | TYRONE | ppd. | 6 – 5 |
| 5/03 | @ Curwensville | 13 – 0 | 7 – 5 |
| 5/04 | TYRONE | 6 – 4 | 8 – 5 |
| 5/05 | @ Bald Eagle Area | 2 – 5 | 8 – 6 |
| 5/09 | @ The Kiski School | cancelled | 8 – 6 |
| 5/10 | PENNS VALLEY | 11 – 7 | 9 – 6 |
| 5/11 | @ Bellefonte | 3 – 4 | 9 – 7 |
| 5/13 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | ||
| 5/17 | DUBOIS | ||
| 5/19 | CURWENSVILLE |