WINGATE — With two big incentives to finish the regular season with a peak performance, the Clearfield Area High School baseball team exploded for season highs in hits and runs to defeat Bald Eagle Area 14-3 in six innings at Doc Etters Field Wednesday.
Milestone win No. 600 for coach Sid Lansberry clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming District 9 Class 4A Playoffs for the Bison, who will carry a 13-7 record into the postseason.
Lansberry is winding down his 46th season at the helm of his alma mater’s program.
“I was aware of it, but nobody‘s really talked about it, and that‘s good,” he said following the presentation of a celebratory banner and a plaque from the Clearfield Area Baseball Association that delayed his usual post-game talk with the players. “It was in the back of my mind, I guess. I was hoping sooner or later.
“Still, the most important thing tonight is the No. 1 seed. We’ve got 13 wins and they (St. Marys) can only get 12.”
The Flying Dutch did reach that number by beating Elk County Catholic 7-2 Wednesday evening, so it turned out the Bison’s 17-hit attack led by Zane Morgan, Tommy Hazel and Reese Wilson with three apiece was crucial.
Every Bison starter had at least one hit, with Eli Glass and Seth Bumbarger each contributing two in the Mountain League make-up game.
Six went for extra bases, including home runs by Morgan and Ty Bender.
“The last four games we’ve been stinging the ball,” Lansberry noted. “I’ve been waiting for it to come around. Hopefully, we’re peaking at the right time. We had a lot of clutch hits with men on base.”
The Bison wasted no time starting the hit parade as Thayne Morgan bounced a high-hopping single off shortstop Hunter Eminhizer’s glove and Wilson drilled a double off the left field fence for a run.
After Hazel picked up an RBI with a groundout, Glass roped a single to center, continued to second when the ball was misplayed, then broke for third on a wild pitch and scored on an errant throw for the quick 3-0 lead.
With Will Myers working on a one-hitter, Clearfield appeared to be in cruise control with singletons on Hazel’s laser to right after Zane Morgan hopped a double over the left center fence in the third and Bender smashed his homer to left in the fourth.
However, the Bison’s lone error and the third of Myers’ four walks gave the Eagles life in the bottom of the fourth, and they took advantage by posting all of their runs on Trent Donley’s run-scoring groundout, Kyle Gill’s double and Grant King’s single, making it a 5-3 game.
The Bison would not be denied this day, though, and answered with a five-run salvo.
Singles by Wilson, Zane Morgan and Hazel chased Eagle starter Hunter Brooks, and Garret Barnhart didn’t fare much better as Glass drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, Bumbarger came through with a big two-out, two-run double to the fence in dead center, the first extra base hit of his career, and Allan Myers capped the rally with a run-scoring single.
“That’s a sign of a good team,” Lansberry said of the Bison’s response. “When it got to be 5-3, it was a little shaky and the momentum was there for them.”
Four more runs in the sixth set up the Mercy Rule finish.
After Wilson ripped a single to left for his first three-hit game, Zane Morgan rocketed his homer to left. Solid singles to right by Hazel and Glass prompted another BEA pitching change, with a wild pitch and Bender’s RBI groundout accounting for the final runs.
Myers wrapped up his fifth victory with his second 1-2-3 inning, setting down seven of the last eight batters he faced after struggling in the fourth.
He allowed just five hits and struck out three in the 91-pitch effort.
“Will’s a trooper,” Lansberry said. “He wasn’t as sharp as he was the last time. He was missing some pitches close, but he still threw hard and he battled. He keeps you in a game.”
Lansberry pointed out the complete game by the senior right-hander was the Bison’s third in as many days, coming on the heels of Jake Sorbera’s four-hit, 8-0 shutout at DuBois Monday and Glass’ five-hitter in a tough 5-4 loss at Altoona Tuesday.
“I’m happy with all three of our pitchers,” Lansberry said. “I was worrying how we were going to mix and match.
“I thought if we won two out of three, it would be a heck of a week.”
The Bison were very close to a sweep, but two out of three isn’t bad, especially when the second was so special for their coach.
Lansberry, a 1964 Clearfield Area High School graduate, joined the Bison staff after playing baseball at Juniata College and was named head coach for the 1972 season.
Other signature wins in his 1,017-game career were No. 100 on April 4, 1979; No. 200 on May 10, 1983; No. 300 on May 17, 1989; No. 400 on May 17, 1997; and No. 500 on May 23, 2006.
Those, along with his first win on April 10, 1972, were listed on the plaque presented by assistants, and former Bison players, Chris Peacock (Class of 1991) and Brandon Billotte (Class of 1998) on behalf of the Clearfield Area Baseball Association.
The Bison, who finished 8-6 in the Mountain League, will have another home game if Bradford enters as the fourth team in the district championship chase.
CLEARFIELD — 14
Thayne Morgan 2b 5110, Reese Wilson cf 4331, Zane Morgan c 4333, Tommy Hazel lf 4132, Alex Coeval pr 0100, Eli Glass ss 3221, Ty Bender rf 4212, Will Myers p 3010, Alec Graham cr 0000, Seth Bumbarger 1b 4122, Harrison Peacock 3b 0000, Allan Myers dh 3011, Jake Sorbera ph 0000. TOTALS: 34 14 17 12.
BALD EAGLE AREA — 3
Jake Gates cf 3010, Ty Walker lf 1000, Hunter Eminhizer ss 3000, Hunter Brooks p 0000, Garret Barnhart p-2b 0000, Matt Reese dh 3110, Luke Josefik rf 2100, Trent Donley 2b-p 3001, Kyle Gill c 3111, Grant King 3b 2011, Brian Egan ph 1000, Jordan Jones 1b 2010, Cale Burkett ph 1000. TOTALS: 24 3 5 3.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 301 154 – 14 17 1
Bald Eagle Area 000 300 – 3 5 4
E – Peacock; Gates 1, Eminhizer, Gill. DP – Bald Eagle Area 1 (Eminhizer, Donley and Jones). LOB – Clearfield 5; Bald Eagle Area 6. 2B – Wilson, Z. Morgan, Hazel, Bumbarger; Gill. HR – Z. Morgan (1); Bender (1). SF – Glass. SB – Wilson. CS – Graham (by Gill).
Pitching
Clearfield – Myers 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.
Bald Eagle Area – Brooks 4+ IP (faced 3 batters in 5th), 10 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K; Barnhart 1+ IP (faced 4 batters in 6th), 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K; Donley 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.
WP – Brooks 2, Barnhart 2, Donley 2.
W – Myers (5-2). L – Brooks.
Umpires – Tom Burger (plate) and Jeff Holter (bases).
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 | 10 – 2 | 2 – 3 |
| 4/13 | PENNS VALLEY | 6 – 3 | 3 – 3 |
| 4/17 | CENTRAL | 3 – 2, 8 inn. | 4 – 3 |
| 4/18 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | 6 – 9 | 4 – 4 |
| 4/20 | PUNXSUTAWNEY | 3 – 2 | 5 – 4 |
| 4/24 | HUNTINGDON | 2 – 5 | 5 – 5 |
| 4/25 | TYRONE | 7 – 5 | 6 – 5 |
| 4/27 | BELLEFONTE | 3 – 7 | 6 – 6 |
| 4/28 | BROOKVILLE | 12 – 2 | 7 – 6 |
| 5/01 | @ Bradford | ppd. | 7 – 6 |
| 5/02 | @ Tyrone | 3 – 1 | 8 – 6 |
| 5/03 | @ Bradford | cancelled | 8 – 6 |
| 5/05 | @ Bald Eagle Area | ppd. | 8 – 6 |
| 5/08 | @ Penns Valley | 6 – 2 | 9 – 6 |
| 5/09 | @ Curwensville | 13 – 0 | 10 – 6 |
| 5/11 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | 10 – 3 | 11 – 6 |
| 5/15 | @ DuBois | 8 – 0 | 12 – 6 |
| 5/16 | @ Altoona | 4 – 5 | 12 – 7 |
| 5/17 | @ Bald Eagle Area | 14 – 3 | 13 – 7 |
| TBD | District 9 AAAA Playoffs |
