SOFTBALL
PHILADELPHIA — Junior pitcher Rachel Hoffman (Clearfield) teamed up with Paige Baker to put the brakes on Clarion’s 10-game losing skid by keeping the University of the Sciences bats in check for a 3-2 victory at McNeil Field Saturday afternoon.
Hoffman racked up 10 strikeouts in five innings while surrendering five hits, one walk and one run to pick up the win. Baker pitched two innings for the save.
The Golden Eagles moved on to Millersville for another non-conference doubleheader Sunday, and Hoffman gave them a chance for another ‘W’ with another good start and a two-run home run that cleared the center field fence at Seabar Field.
Her first homer of the season put Clarion (2-20) ahead 3-2 in the second inning, and she pitched four innings with five strikeouts, giving up four hits and one earned run, but wound up with a no decision when Millersville rallied for a 4-3 victory.
Hoffman also doubled to account for two of the Golden Eagles’ four hits and added a single as the designated player in the 4-1 nightcap loss to push her batting average to a .233.
She has seven hits and three RBIs.
Hoffman, owner of both of Clarion’s wins, has a 4.93 earned run average for nine starts and one relief appearance. She has pitched 49-2/3 innings with 47 strikeouts, 21 walks and four hit batsmen.
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WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
SELINSGROVE — St. Francis (Pa.) University sophomore Sarah Lash (Clearfield) added more than two meters to her career record for the javelin throw to place fifth among 37 entries from 13 teams at the 33rd Annual Jim Taylor Invitational hosted by Susquehanna University in Nicholas A. Lopardo Stadium Saturday.
She eclipsed her previous personal-best of 38.37 meters with a throw of 41.32 meters (135 feet, 7 inches).
Lash also finished 18th in the hammer throw with a heave of 30.35 meters (99-7).
Red Flash senior Rebecca Johnson (Curwensville) placed sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 12:54.70.
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CALIFORNIA, Pa. — Clarion senior Jessica Shomo (Clearfield) improved her Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference qualifying time in the 100 meters to 12.58 seconds in the California University of Pennsylvania Early Bird Invitational at Adamson Stadium Saturday.
She placed seventh among 29 sprinters from 14 schools.
Shomo also was on the Golden Eagle 400-meter relay foursome that finished fifth in 49.73 seconds.
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BASEBALL
HUNTINGDON — Junior pitcher Kurtis Krise (Clearfield) lowered his earned run average to 1.93 with 1-1/3 scoreless innings in Penn State Altoona’s 11-4 non-conference loss to host Juniata at Langdon-Goodale Field last Tuesday.
The right-hander retired four of the five batters he faced in his fifth appearance for the 8-10 Lions.
Krise has worked 14 innings and allowed three earned runs and six walks while striking out seven.
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DUBOIS — Freshman Brandon Orsich (Clearfield) was one of eight Penn State DuBois pitchers who worked in a 4-3 non-conference loss to Penn College at Showers Field Thursday evening.
He logged one scoreless inning, hitting one batter, in his third appearance.
The Lions (8-6) opened defense of their Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference title by taking two of three weekend games from Penn State Beaver.
Sophomore catcher/third baseman Josh Sorbera (Clearfield) made his first appearance of the season with a start at the hot corner in Saturday’s nightcap at Monaca and scored the lone Penn State DuBois run on an error after reaching on a misplay in the fifth inning.
Penn State Beaver pushed across the deciding run in the bottom of the eighth for a 2-1 victory.
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FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Sophomore outfielder/pitcher Thomas Summers (Clearfield) was hitless in two Indian River (Fla.) State College games last week.
His average tumbled to .156 on 12 hits, four of them doubles, in 21 starts, the last three in left field.
Summers has driven in two runs and scored eight runs.
The Pioneers are 9-21 with a 3-11 record in the Florida State College Division I Southern Conference.