CLEARFIELD — The Clearfield American Legion baseball team broke open a close game with a big fifth inning and went on to set season highs for hits and runs in defeating Philipsburg 14-4 at the Don Womer Complex Thursday evening.
The Post 6 Chiefs padded their Central Penn League record to 7-4 with 14 hits to go along with three walks and five Phils’ misplays.
All but one of the Chiefs’ starters joined in the hit parade that was led by Justin Fedder with a double and two singles, Jarrit Wagner with a double and a single and Zane Morgan and Brandon Orsich with two singles apiece.
Morgan drove in three runs while Wagner, Josh Sorbera, Will Myers and Jake Sorbera each had a pair of RBIs.
Jake Sorbera, who relieved Myers in the third inning, gave up only one run in 4-1/3 innings while striking out two and walking none to earn his third win in as many decisions.
Philipsburg mustered seven hits off each of the Clearfield pitchers but stranded 14 runners.
Josh Earnest and Jake Ferlitch topped the Phils with three singles apiece. McDonald tripled and singled and Mike Askey singled twice.
Leading 4-3, the Chiefs erupted for five consecutive hits off Cam Domblisky to post a five-spot.
After Bryce Timko led off with a flare to left, Fedder and Reese Wilson beat out sacrifice bunts to load the bases. Josh Sorbera singled to left center for one run and Morgan bounced a high hopper over third base for a two-run double, Sorbera also scoring when the throw to the plate went awry. Morgan crossed the plate on Myers’ sac fly.
Clearfield made it a runaway with a singleton in the sixth and four, all unearned, in the seventh with Wagner’s two-run double was the big blow.
The Chiefs, 10-5 overall, will finish the regular season with three home games, Friday against Beech Creek, Sunday against Bellefonte at 1 p.m. and Tuesday against Mifflin County.
Beech Creek beat State College 12-3 in Thursday evening’s showdown for first place.
Central Penn League standings — Beech Creek 10-2, State College 9-3, Mifflin County 9-3, Clearfield 7-4, Bellefonte 5-4-1, DuBois 2-7, Clarence 1-10-1, Philipsburg 1-11.
CLEARFIELD — 14
Justin Fedder 2b 4330, Reese Wilson cf 4110, Josh Sorbera ss-3b 4312, Zane Morgan c 4123, Ty Bender rf 4010, Will Myers p-ss 1201, Jarrit Wagner eh 4122, Jake Sorbera 3b-p 2212, Brandon Orsich 1b 4021, Alec Graham pr 0000, Bryce Timko lf 2110, Wyatt Porter ph-lf 2001. TOTALS: 35 14 14 12.
PHILIPSBURG — 4
Landon McDonald ss-p-eh 4121, Josh Earnest 2b-ss 4031, Gage Coudriet 3b 3000, Riley Phillips eh-p 3010, Logan Moore 1b 4011, Jake Ferlitch c 4130, Trevin Hampton rf 3011, Noah Jeffries rf 1010, Mike Askey lf-cf 3120, Nick Kitko cf 0100, Hunter Ammerman lf 2000, Cam Domblisky p 2000. TOTALS: 33 4 14 4.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 112 051 4 – 14 14 0
Philipsburg 120 010 0 – 4 14 5
E – Coudriet, Moore, Askey, Kitko, Ammerman. PB – Z. Morgan. LOB – Clearfield 5; Philipsburg 14. 2B – Fedder, Wagner; Hampton. 3B – McDonald. Sac – Domblisky. SF – Myers, Ja. Sorbera. SB – Fedder, Z. Morgan, Bender, Thayne Morgan 2; Phillips.
Pitching
Clearfield – Myers 2-2/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K; Ja. Sorbera 4-1/3 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
Philipsburg – Domblisky 5 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K; McDonald 1-2/3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Phillips 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
HB – Myers 2 (Coudriet, Kitko).
W – Ja. Sorbera (3-0). L – Domblisky.
Umpires – Dave Urbanick (plate) and Hank Wilson (bases).