BELLEFONTE — The Clearfield Area High School softball team gave Mountain League co-leader Bellefonte a scare by forging a tie after 4½ innings at O‘Leary Field Friday afternoon, but the Lady Raiders pushed around a run in the bottom of the fifth for a 6-5 squeaker.
The Lady Bison found themselves in a 5-0 hole after three innings with Tara Baney working on a perfect game.
The Lady Raider ace was dominant, with 23 of her 30 pitches in the strike zone. She needed little help as she struck out three batters, caught a pop-up and handled four come backers.
When Mallorie Smith relieved in the fourth inning, the Lady Bison became a different team, parlaying four hits and two walks into four runs.
Brooke Cline led off with the first of her three singles and scored one out later on Makayla Ross’ double into right center. Aspen Bishop kept the rally going with a single before Lindsay Hand and Erica Hanes walked to force in another run.
Third baseman Rianna Trexler turned Abby Fedder’s sharp grounder into a forceout at the plate, but Kate Lansberry came through with a two-run single to left.
Emily Pugh relieved for Bellefonte (11-2, 8-1 ML) in the fifth, and Cline greeted her with a single, advanced to third on two wild pitches and crossed the plate with the tying run on a groundout by Ross.
Pugh allowed only one more hit to pick up the win when a walk and singles by Smith and Alexis Wetzler produced the deciding run that kept the Lady Raiders tied with Central for first place.
They jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Trexler’s two-run single and Emma DeHass’ RBI single in the first inning.
Baney homered in the second and Angela Capparelle and Carson Kustaborder doubled in the third to expand the margin that the Lady Bison were able to overcome.
Capparelle and Lissi Przybys each had two of the Lady Raiders’ 11 hits off Fedder, who pitched a complete game. She issued five walks.
Clearfield (0-10, 0-11 ML) will step outside the league to welcome backyard rival Curwensville to the Bison Sports Complex for an 11 a.m. makeup game Saturday.
CLEARFIELD — 5
Brooke Cline ss 4230, Kyra Mollura c 3000, Makayla Ross 3b 3112, Aspen Bishop 1b 3010, Lindsay Hand rf 2100, Erica Hanes lf 2101, Abby Fedder p 3000, Kate Lansberry dp 3012, Makeeli Redden 2b 3000, Karly Rumsky cf (flex) 0000. TOTALS: 26 5 6 5.
BELLEFONTE — 6
Mallorie Smith rf-p 3110, Emily Pugh p 1010, Alexis Wetzler ss 3111, Tara Baney p-rf 2211, Rianna Trexler 3b 4012, Lissi Przybys 1b 4020, Emma DeHass 2b 4011, Angela Capparelle cf 3220, Carson Kustaborder lf 3011, Taylor Kerr c 3000. TOTALS: 30 6 11 6.
Score by Innings
Clearfield   000 410 0 – 5   6 3
Bellefonte   311 001 0 – 6 11 0
E – Ross 3. DP – Clearfield 1 (Redden and Bishop). LOB – Clearfield 3; Bellefonte 12. 2B – Ross; Capparelle, Kustaborder. HR – Baney. Sac – Mollura; Wetzler. SB- Capparelle.
Pitching
Clearfield – Fedder 6 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 0 K.
Bellefonte – Baney 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K; Smith 1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Pugh 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
WP – Fedder 2; Pugh 2.
W – Pugh. L – Fedder (0-9).
Lady Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 3/28 | @ Central | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 3/29 | @ Central | 0 – 8 | 0 – 1 |
| 3/31 | HUNTINGDON | ppd. | 0 – 1 |
| 4/03 | BELLEFONTE | 1 – 11 | 0 – 2 |
| 4/06 | @ Tyrone | ppd. | 0 – 2 |
| 4/07 | CURWENSVILLE | ppd. | 0 – 2 |
| 4/08 | @ Tyrone | 2 – 4 | 0 – 3 |
| 4/10 | @ Punxsutawney | 1 – 8 | 0 – 4 |
| 4/11 | BALD EAGLE AREA | 5 – 8 | 0 – 5 |
| 4/13 | @ Penns Valley | 4 – 11 | 0 – 6 |
| 4/18 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | 2 – 12 | 0 – 7 |
| 4/20 | CENTRAL | 4 – 17 | 0 – 8 |
| 4/24 | HUNTINGDON | 6 – 7 | 0 – 9 |
| 4/25 | @ Huntingdon | 1 – 14 | 0 – 10 |
| 4/28 | @ Bellefonte | 5 – 6 | 0 – 11 |
| 4/29 | CURWENSVILLE | ||
| 5/01 | TYRONE | ||
| 5/03 | @ Glendale | ||
| 5/04 | @ Bald Eagle Area | ||
| 5/09 | PENNS VALLEY | ||
| 5/11 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | ||
| 5/15 | HOLLIDAYSBURG | ||
| 5/16 | @ Altoona | ||
| 5/18 | BRADFORD |
