Bison Come From Behind To Nip Dragons 3-2 in Eighth

HYDE — There are big wins.

Then, there are huge wins, the more accurate label for the Clearfield Area High School baseball team’s extra-inning 3-2 squeaker over Mountain League co-leader Central at the Bison Sports Complex Monday.

The Scarlet Dragons came in averaging just under eight runs per game and hitting .333, but senior right-handers Will Myers and Tommy Hazel combined to hold them to five hits before the Bison claimed their third consecutive ‘W’ when Myers crossed the plate on an error in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Myers, who had surrendered five runs in two-plus innings when the Bison lost 8-2 at Martinsburg April 8, toughed out almost six innings on a day when he didn’t have his best stuff.

He recorded first-pitch strikes to only nine of the 27 batters he faced, but the hard-hitting Central lineup that featured eight seniors managed just four hits this time around.

Myers struck out three and walked three.

“He was kind of wild and pitching from behind, but I’ve gotta give him credit for a gutsy effort,” Clearfield coach Sid Lansberry said. “He hung in there.

“Then, Tommy did a great job in relief.”

Hazel retired seven of the eight batters he faced in 2-1/3 scoreless innings to pick up his first win.

“Those two guys are competitors,” Lansberry, noting the tremendous success Myers and Hazel achieved in basketball careers that rank with Clearfield’s all-time greats. “Look what they have accomplished in their high school careers.

“It’s good to have veterans like that on the team. They’re not fiery leader types, but other kids look up to them, and that’s part of being a leader.”

The Morgan twins gave the Bison a 1-0 edge in the first inning, Thayne leading off with a triple to the right center gap and scoring on Zane’s sacrifice fly on which Hunter Liebal made a diving catch near the left field line.

The Scarlet Dragons went in front with three of their four hits off Myers in the third frame. Larry Corle beat out a slow roller to short and scored on Alex Hoenstine’s hit-and-run double to left center. One out and one walk later, Liebal doubled into the left field corner for the go-ahead RBI.

With two more runners in scoring position, Central (5-2) was poised to break it open, Myers induced a flyout to short center and then was bailed out by Hazel, who retreated on Michael Speck’s liner to deep left and leaped for a spectacular backhanded grab.

“They was the key play, because they always seem to have a big inning against us, and that would have made it 4-1 with a runner on second,” Lansberry said. “It would have been a whole different game psychologically. We might not have been able to hang in there like we did.”

Especially the way Jarret Imler was pitching.

The Scarlet Dragon ace, who was 3-0 with a 1.94 earned run average, had set down eight Bison in a row and 10 of the last 11 going to the seventh inning.

Clearfield (4-3, 3-3 ML) staved off defeat when Ty Bender bounced a single through the middle, advanced to third on a walk to Eli Glass and a perfectly-placed sacrificed bunt by Jake Sorbera and scored the tying run on Reese Wilson’s groundout.

Myers, who was robbed of a line-drive base hit by second baseman Corle in the sixth, gave the Bison hope in the eighth with a sharp two-out single to right center off Scarlet Dragon reliever Hoenstine, who then walked Seth Bumbarger on four pitches and went 3-1 on Ty Bender, who was awarded an intentional after a passed ball left first base open.

A throwing error on Glass’ grass-hugger to the right side allowed Myers to score the winning run.

“When you’re playing at home and stay close, you’ve got a shot,” Lansberry said. “Will’s pitching and defense let us do that.”

He specifically cited the defensive work of Zane Morgan behind the plate.

“He blocks the ball as well as any catcher we’ve had here,” Lansberry said. “They like to run, he kept them from moving up on what would have been wild pitches.

“Zane definitely is a leader, and Thayne is, too. If he doesn’t lead off with that triple, we don’t win, so all four of those seniors contributed heavily.

“This is a big win at this stage of the season, especially with two of the best teams on our schedule coming up.”

The Bison go on the road to play league rival Philipsburg-Osceola Tuesday and will host District 9 rival Punxsutawney Thursday.

CENTRAL — 2

Larry Corle 2b-ss 3110, Alex Hoenstine ss-p 4121, Chase Smith cf 4000, Josh McKnight 3b 2000, Hunter Liebal lf 4021, Jarrett Imler p-2b 3000, Michael Speck rf 3000, Jacob Muthler c 3000, Preston Karstetter cr 0000, Brice Brumbaugh 1b 2000, Brady Nicewonger ph 1000. TOTALS: 29 2 5 2.

CLEARFIELD — 3

Thayne Morgan 2b 4110, Zane Morgan c 3011, Tommy Hazel lf-p 2000, Will Myers p-ss 4110, Seth Bumbarger 1b 2000, Jarrit Wagner ph 1000, Ty Bender rf 3120, Eli Glass ss-3b 3010, Jake Sorbera 3b-lf 2000, Reese Wilson cf 3001. TOTALS: 27 5 6 2.

Score by Innings

Central       002  000  00 – 2  5  2
Clearfield   100  000  11 – 3  6  2
E – Imler, Brumbaugh; T. Morgan, Glass. DP – Clearfield 1 (T. Morgan and Bumbarger). LOB – Central 9; Clearfield 8. 2B – Hoenstine, Liebal; Z. Morgan, Bender, Glass. 3B – T. Morgan. Sac – Imler; Sorbera. SF – Z. Morgan. SB – Corle, Speck, Karstetter. CS – Hazel (by Imler).

Pitching

Central – Imler 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; Hoenstine 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
Clearfield – Myers 5-2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K; Hazel 2-1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.
HB – Myers 2 (Corle, McKnight). WP – Imler 1.
W – Hazel (1-1). L – Hoenstine (0-2).

Umpires – Rob Murphy (plate) and Tim Rupp (bases).

Bison Scoreboard: