HUNTINGDON — The Clearfield Area High School baseball team couldn’t have opened against a tougher opponent than reigning District 6 Class AAA champion Huntingdon.
The Bearcats, loaded with eight returning starters and eight other lettermen from that 15-8 crew, rode brilliant pitching by Jared Showalter and a three-run home run by batterymate Alex Mykut to a 5-1 win at Langdon-Goodale Field on the Juniata College campus Saturday afternoon.
Showalter, a Shippensburg University commit, was in mid-season form in the Mountain League game, allowing only one hit and three walks while striking out nine.
The senior right-hander retired the first 13 Bison batters before walking mound opponent Jake Sorbera.
Eli Glass broke up his no-hitter in the sixth inning with a one-out single that pushed Nate Barr, aboard on an error, from second base to third. Ty Bender followed with a sacrifice fly to spoil Showalter’s shutout on only the fourth ball a Bison hit into the outfield.
Ensuing walks to Seth Bumbarger and Allan Myers brought the tying run to the plate, but Showalter closed the door with a strikeout and fanned two of the three Bison in the seventh frame.
“Showalter was very sharp,” Clearfield coach Sid Lansberry. “Sorbera pitched well against an outstanding lineup, too.”
The Bison’s senior righty had five strikeouts in six innings, walked only one and gave up five hits and four earned runs.
Huntingdon got on the board in the first inning when Nick Zanic singled, stole second and came around on two groundouts, with Showalter notching the run batted in.
A walk and a single by Showalter preceded Mykut’s big blow in the fourth, Lansberry stating that was Sorbera’s only mistake.
Zanic doubled and scored again on a wild pitch in the fifth.
Glass relieved and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, thanks to a game-ending pickoff at first base.
“Overall, we played good defense,” Lansberry said. “We are not going to play many teams any better this year.”
Bellefonte will be the opponent for the Clearfield’s home opener Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at the Bison Sports Complex.
CLEARFIELD — 1
Eli Glass ss-p 3010, Ty Bender rf 2001, Seth Bumbarger 1b 0000, Hayden Williams 2b 0000, Allan Myers dh 2000, Jake Sorbera p-3b 2000, Reese Wilson cf 3000, Harrison Peacock 3b-ss 3000, Nate Barr c 3100, Alex Graham lf 1000, Caullin Reed ph 1000. TOTALS: 22 1 1 1.
HUNTINGDON — 5
Nic Zanic 2b 3220, Nick Holesa ss 2100, Jared Showalter p 3111; Alex Mykut c 3113, Ben Briggs 1b 3010, Nick Gearhart 3b 0000, Casey Conner dh 3000, Jacob Safko pr 0000, Drew Weglarz lf 2000, Rece Ritchey cf 2000, Jacob Wagner rf 2000. TOTALS: 23 5 5 4.
Score by Innings
Clearfield 000 001 0 – 1 1 2
Huntingdon 100 310 x – 5 5 1
E – Glass, Williams; Holesa. LOB – Clearfield 4; Huntingdon 1. 2B – Zanic. HR – Mykut. SF – Bender. SB – Zanic, Holesa. CS – Briggs (by Barr).
Pitching
Clearfield – Sorbera 5 IP 4 5 H, 5R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K; Glass 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
Huntingdon – Showalter 7 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K.
WP – Sorbera 1; Showalter 1. PO – Glass 1 (Safko).
W – Showalter (1-0). L – Sorbera (0-1).
Bison Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
3/27 @ Central ppd. 0 – 0
3/28 @ Central ppd. 0 – 0
3/31 @ Huntingdon 1 – 5 0 – 1
4/03 BELLEFONTE
4/05 @ Tyrone
4/09 @ Central
4/10 BALD EAGLE AREA
4/11 @ Punxsutawney
4/13 @ Penns Valley
4/16 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA
4/19 CENTRAL
4/20 BRADFORD
4/23 @ Curwensville
4/24 HUNTINGDON
4/27 @ Bellefonte
4/30 TYRONE
5/01 @ Brookville
5/03 @ Bald Eagle Area
5/08 PENNS VALLEY
5/11 @ Philipsburg-Osceola
5/14 DUBOIS
5/15 CURWENSVILLE