HYDE — An outstanding pitching effort by Clearfield Area High School junior right-hander Jake Sorbera went unrewarded when Bald Eagle Area scored a run off Tommy Hazel in the top of the seventh inning to eke out a 2-1 win at the Bison Sports Complex Monday afternoon.
Sorbera gave up only three hits and one unearned run while fanning seven and walking one in six innings before departing because of the PIAA’s new rule limiting hurlers to no more than 100 pitches a day.
“Jake pitched great,” coach Sid Lansberry said after the Bison‘s home opener that showcased the new grass infield at the BSC. “He felt okay and could have gone further, but we had to take him out. The pitch count changes the whole game.”
Thayne Morgan led off the bottom of the first inning with his first career home run over the left field wall, and the Bison threatened to give Sorbera a little bigger cushion in the second, loading the bases with two outs on a walk, Ty Bender’s double and a hit batsman.
Winner Ty Walker wiggled off the hook with one of his five strikeouts and held the Bison hitless until he, too, ran up against the pitch-count limit with one out in the seventh inning.
Trent Donley relieved and earned the save via two flyouts.
BEA (1-3) had only one baserunner before Hunter Eminhizer and Luke Jozefick singled with one out in the fourth inning. An error and Grant King’s sacrifice fly knotted the score.
It remained 1-1 until Jordan Jones doubled with one out in the seventh, moved to third on a groundout and crossed the plate on a wild pitch.
“It was a classic pitcher’s duel,” Lansberry said. “We’re just not hitting right now, but the Walker kid pitched well, too.”
The Bison managed only three safeties and have just 13 to show for their 1-3 start in the Mountain League.
Clearfield will play on its home diamond again Tuesday with Curwensville visiting for a non-league game.
Mountain League standings – Central 4-0, Bellefonte 3-0, Philipsburg-Osceola 2-1, Huntingdon 1-1, Bald Eagle Area 1-2, Clearfield 1-3, Tyrone 0-2, Penns Valley 0-3.
BALD EAGLE AREA — 2
Jake Gates cf 3000, Brian Egan ph 1000, Ty Walker p 3000, Trent Donley p 0000, Hunter Eminhizer 3b 3010, Luke Jozefick rf 2010, Kyle Gill c 3000, Grant King ss 2001, Tanner Kresovich lf 2000, Jordan Jones 1b 3110, Garret Barnhart 2b 3010. TOTALS: 25 2 4 1.
CLEARFIELD — 1
Thayne Morgan 2b 3111, Reese Wilson cf 3000, Zane Morgan c 3000, Tommy Hazel lf-p 2010, Seth Bumbarger 1b 2000, Jake Sorbera p-lf 3000, Will Myers ss 3000, Eli Glass 3b 2000, Ty Bender rf 3011. TOTALS: 24 1 3 1.
Score by Innings
Bald Eagle Area 000 100 1 – 2 4 0
Clearfield 100 000 0 – 1 3 1
E – Myers. LOB – Bald Eagle Area ; Clearfield . 2B – Jones, Barnhart; Bender. HR – T. Morgan (1). SF – King. SB – Kresovich; Hazel. CS – Hazel (by Gill).
Pitching
Bald Eagle Area – Walker 6-1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; Donley 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
Clearfield – Sorbera 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K; Hazel 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.
HB – Walker 2 (T. Morgan, Bumbarger); Sorbera 1 (King). WP – Sorbera 1, Hazel 1.
W – Walker. L – Hazel (0-1).
Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 3/27 | CENTRAL | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 3/28 | @ Central | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 3/29 | CENTRAL | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 3/30 | @ Huntingdon | 7 – 5 | 1 – 0 |
| 4/01 | @ Central | ppd. | 1 – 0 |
| 4/04 | @ Bellefonte | ppd. | 1 – 0 |
| 4/05 | @ Bellefonte | 0 – 10 | 1 – 1 |
| 4/06 | PUNXSUTAWNEY | ppd. | 1 – 1 |
| 4/07 | TYRONE | ppd. | 1 – 1 |
| 4/08 | @ Central | 2 – 8 | 1 – 2 |
| 4/10 | BALD EAGLE AREA | 1 – 2 | 1 – 3 |
| 4/11 | CURWENSVILLE | ||
| 4/13 | PENNS VALLEY | ||
| 4/18 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | ||
| 4/20 | PUNXSUTAWNEY | ||
| 4/21 | CENTRAL | ||
| 4/24 | HUNTINGDON | ||
| 4/25 | TYRONE | ||
| 4/27 | BELLEFONTE | ||
| 4/28 | BROOKVILLE | ||
| 5/01 | @ Bradford | ||
| 5/02 | @ Tyrone | ||
| 5/05 | @ Bald Eagle Area | ||
| 5/08 | @ Penns Valley | ||
| 5/09 | @ Curwensville | ||
| 5/11 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ||
| 5/15 | @ DuBois |