HYDE — Clearfield Area High School softball coach Bob Lewis labeled Wednesday afternoon’s pitching duel between Raeleigh Redden and Glendale freshman Lexi Mulhollen a classic, but the Lady Bison came out on the wrong end of the non-league game when Sydney Gallaher’s two-out single in the top of the eighth inning lifted the Lady Vikings to a 2-0 win at the Bison Sports Complex.
“It’s a tough loss,” Lewis said after the Lady Bison fell to 6-9 on Senior Day. “It was like a playoff game. They have gotten very good, and we weren’t expecting anything but a dogfight.”
That it was with the two hurlers matching zeroes for seven innings.
Redden was working on a three-hitter and had retired eight Lady Vikings in succession until missing on four consecutive pitches to Ellie Leyo leading off the eighth.
Makenzie Lukehart dropped down a sacrifice bunt, but Redden retired Mulhollen on a flyout to right field and appeared to have prolonged her shutout when Anna Fowler sent a looper to the left side.
However, the ball was mishandled, and Gallaher followed with her flare that dropped near the right field line for the game-winning hit.
Alana Kochan gave the Lady Bison some hope by slicing a leadoff single to right in the bottom of the eighth, but Mulhollen wrapped up her six-hit shutout on just seven pitches.
Aspen Bishop almost made it very interesting with a one-out sinking liner to center, only to watch Fowler race in and make a lunging, knee-high catch.
Mulhollen registered three strikeouts and assisted on eight more outs by handling bunts and ground balls headed back up the middle.
“Credit to her,” Lewis said. “She pitched well. She had a lot of poise. And she fielded her position very well.”
So did her teammates in making every defensive play except one.
Especially right fielder Lukehart, who robbed Brooke Cline of extra bases in the first inning when she retreated to make a spectacular falling catch of the deep fly ball.
The Lady Vikings, champion of the Moshannon Valley League for the first time since 1996, upped their record to 15-4.
“Glendale deserves what they’re getting,” Lewis said. “They’re a good team. And they’re well-coached.”
Redden fanned five and walked three in absorbing the loss.
“She pitched her heart out,” Lewis said. “We were hoping that it would be a magical outcome. We just couldn’t get that one hit when we need it the most.
“I told the kids we’ll grow from it. It stings a little bit now, but somewhere down the road, a game like that is gonna benefit them.
“I’m proud of our girls. I couldn’t have asked them to battle any more than they did.”
Karlie Lewis had a pair of singles for the Lady Bison.
The veteran center fielder, Redden and third baseman Sierra Jones were honored in pre-game ceremonies along with Lady Viking seniors Fowler, Summer Pennington and Sarah Ruffaner.
The Lady Bison will be back at the BSC Thursday to host Mountain League front-runner Philipsburg-Osceola.
GLENDALE — 2
Ellie Leyo 2b 2110, Makenzie Lukehart rf 3000, Lexi Mulhollen p 4010, Anna Fowler cf 3100, Sydney Gallaher 1b 4012, Riley Gabrielson pr 0000, Kristen Hewitt lf 4010, Kennedy LeMaster 3b 3000, Keneisha Gustafson ss 3000, Lauryn Clarkson c 3000. TOTALS: 29 2 4 2.
CLEARFIELD — 0
Nikki Brossard c 4000, Alana Kochan 2b 3010, Abby Fedder ph 1000, Brooke Cline ss 3000, Aspen Bishop lf 4010, Makeeli Redden pr 4010, Sierra Jones 3b 4010, Makayla Ross 1b 3000, Erica Hanes dp 3000, Raeleigh Redden p 3010, Karlie Lewis cf 3020, Lindsay Hand (flex) rf 0000. TOTALS: 31 0 6 0.
Score by Innings
Glendale 000 000 02 – 2 4 1
Clearfield 000 000 00 – 0 6 2
E – Gustafson; Jones, R. Redden. LOB – Glendale 7; Clearfield 8. 2B – Hewitt. Sac – Lukehart. SB – Leyo; Cline.
Pitching
Glendale – Mulhollen 8 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
Clearfield – R. Redden 8 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K.
WP – R. Redden 1.
W – Mulhollen. L – R. Redden (5-7).
Umpires – Denny Koppenhaver (plate) and Bud Brennen (bases).
Lady Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 3/29 | CENTRAL | 0 – 11 | 0 – 1 |
| 3/31 | @ Huntingdon | 3 – 4 | 0 – 2 |
| 4/05 | @ Bellefonte | 0 – 8 | 0 – 3 |
| 4/08 | TYRONE | ppd. | 0 – 3 |
| 4/11 | @ Bald Eagle Area | ppd. | 0 – 3 |
| 4/13 | PUNXSUTAWNEY | 3 – 0 | 1 – 3 |
| 4/14 | PENNS VALLEY | 7 – 5 | 2 – 3 |
| 4/18 | TYRONE | 10 – 0 | 3 – 3 |
| 4/19 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | 0 – 9 | 3 – 4 |
| 4/20 | @ Bald Eagle Area | 1 – 11 | 3 – 5 |
| 4/22 | @ Central | 0 – 11 | 3 – 6 |
| 4/25 | HUNTINGDON | 5 – 11 | 3 – 7 |
| 4/28 | BELLEFONTE | ppd. | 3 – 7 |
| 4/29 | BELLEFONTE | ppd. | 3 – 7 |
| 5/02 | GLENDALE | ppd. | 3 – 7 |
| 5/03 | @ Tyrone | 7 – 2 | 4 – 7 |
| 5/05 | @ Curwensville | 3 – 1 | 5 – 7 |
| 5/06 | BALD EAGLE AREA | 3 – 9 | 5 – 8 |
| 5/09 | @ Penns Valley | 3 – 1 | 6 – 8 |
| 5/11 | GLENDALE | 0 – 2 | 6 – 9 |
| 5/12 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ||
| 5/17 | BELLEFONTE | ||
| 5/16 | @ Hollidaysburg | ||
| 5/18 | ALTOONA | ||
| 5/19 | @ Bradford |