HYDE — Anytime coach Sid Lansberry sends Brandon Orsich to the mound, odds are heavily in the Clearfield Area High School baseball team’s favor.
The senior right-hander delivered once again Tuesday afternoon by scattering six hits in a 4-1 non-league victory over DuBois at the Bison Sports Complex.
Orsich, now 6-1 with a 1.25 earned run average for eight starts, worked out of a two-out, bases-loaded situation in the second inning, surrendered the Beavers’ run in the third and then slammed the door on the visitors the rest of the way.
He relied mostly on his curve and cutter to stymie the Beavers, retiring 13 of the last 15 batters he faced, including the final nine following Zach Sloan’s leadoff single in the fifth frame.
Orsich struck out five and, for the fourth time in his seven complete games, did not issue a walk.
“A masterful performance against what was the best hitting team we’ve seen this year,” Lansberry declared. “They are good up and down the order. I had seen their stats, and they have six or seven .300 hitters.
“Brandon had pretty good control of all of his pitches and was in command the whole game.”
It helped that the Bison posted the season’s third crooked number in the first inning, primarily because of Noah Schneider’s control problems.
After Thayne Morgan drilled a single into center field, Schneider plunked Justin Fedder and then walked three of the next four batters.
Will Myers and Eli Glass were recipients of the gift runs batted in.
Sloan relieved and gave up a line-drive out to right by Ty Bender for an RBI and a sharply-hit single to center by Logan Lykens that resulted in the fourth run when the ball was misplayed in the outfield.
The Bison got to Sloan for only three more singles and had only one more runner reach second base, Thayne Morgan with a successful steal attempt after bunting for his second hit in the fourth frame.
“Sloan did a great job in relief,” Lansberry said. “Luckily, we got enough runs in the first inning and Brandon was able to hold them down. I thought we had to get a lot more runs.”
Logan Lykens, out almost two weeks due to an injury, had two hits in his return to the lineup.
Sloan and Adam Bankovich each had a pair of hits for DuBois (13-6) with Sloan’s double and .400 hitter Nick LaBrasca’s single producing the third-inning run.
The Bison had Orsich’s back when the Beavers put the ball in play, guilty of just one error.
“We’ve played pretty good defense all year except for one game, and we continued to do so tonight,” Lansberry. “They play with confidence behind him. When he’s on the mound, they always feel they have a chance to win.”
He noted the win, No. 10 in 18 games, was very important game for seeding in the upcoming District 9 Class AAA Playoffs.
“It doesn’t guarantee us a home game but it’s looking pretty good that we could have one if Bradford enters,” Lansberry said.
The Bison will wrap up the regular schedule by hosting Curwensville Thursday.
Clearfield’s junior varsity hiked their record to 13-3 with a 9-7 win as Alex Coval had two hits and three RBIs, Jarrit Wagner also had two hits and Ethan McGinnis, Evan Brown and Johny Gates scored two runs apiece.
Hunter Hipps was the winning hurler with Tommy Hazel earning a save.
DUBOIS — 1
Zach Sloan 2b-p 4120, Braden Paulinelli ss 3000, Noah Schneider p 0000, Brendan Foley 2b 0000, Nick LaBrasca dh 3011, Drew Bankovich 3b 3000, Ryan Pasternak 1b 3000, Daron Walker 1b 0000, Adam Bankovich c 3020, Ryan Radaker lf 3010, Tate Rutherford rf 2010, Pete Foradora ph 1000, Mitchell Ferra cf 2000, Matt Agosti ph 1000. TOTALS: 38 1 6 1.
CLEARFIELD — 4
Thayne Morgan ss 4120, Justin Fedder 2b 2100, Zane Morgan c 1110, Jon Trimpey lf 3000, Will Myers 3b 1101, Brandon Orsich p 0000, Eli Glass dh 2001, Ty Bender rf 2001, Logan Lykens 1b 3021, Reese Wilson cf 2000, Seth Bumbarger ph 1000. TOTALS: 21 4 5 4.
Score by Innings
DuBois 001 000 0 – 1 6 1
Clearfield 400 000 x – 4 5 1
E – Ferra; Fedder. LOB – DuBois 6; Clearfield 6. 2B – Sloan. SF – Bender. SB – Sloan; T. Morgan. CS – Z. Morgan (by D. Bankovich).
Pitching
DuBois – Schneider 1/3 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K; Sloan 5-2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.
Clearfield – Orsich 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K.
HB – Schneider 1 (Fedder).
W – Orsich (6-1). L – Schneider (3-2).
Umpires – Gary Kost (plate) and Scott Viehdorfer (bases).
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 | 0 – 5 | 9 – 8 |
| 5/17 | DUBOIS | 4 – 1 | 10 – 8 |
| 5/19 | CURWENSVILLE |