HYDE — It was deja vu for the Clearfield Area High School softball team at the Bison Sports Complex Thursday afternoon.
With a happier ending.
Mirroring their slow start, both at the plate and in the field, in Wednesday’s 13-7 loss to Punxsutawney, the Lady Bison faced an uphill battle in the middle of the fourth inning with Penns Valley owning a 6-0 lead and Lydia Collison working on a one-hitter.
And just like they did against the Lady Chucks, the Lady Bison began to lay down a barrage of hits and push across runs.
What ensued was one of the more remarkable comebacks in the history of the program as the Lady Bison rallied to pull out a 9-7 Mountain League victory, the game-winning blow a two-out, three-run homer by Brooke Cline in the sixth inning.
The Lady Bison broke up Collison’s shutout in the bottom of the fourth on singles by Aspen Bishop, Makayla Ross and Lindsay Hand. Courtesy runner Makeeli Redden scored a second run when a base-running mistake forced her to take off for the plate on a groundout.
Clearfield (2-2, 1-1 ML) chopped the deficit to 6-5 in the fifth, consecutive hits by Erica Hanes, Cline and Bishop producing a run and chasing Collison. Freshman Kendra Bumgardner relieved and, after a double steal with one out, Abby Fedder sliced a liner down the right field line for two RBIs.
Jordan Anderson got one of those runs back in the top of the sixth on a fly ball that rode the wind over the left field fence.
Rookie head coach Derek Danver immediately made a pitching change, calling on Hanes to replace Fedder, who had surrendered nine hits and seven runs, only four of them earned, while striking out six and walking one.
“They started getting to Abby a little bit, I think, three times through the order,” Danver explained. “She did her job.
“Erica came in and was what we needed to shut them down at the end. She was a good change of pace. You could tell their hitters were off balance.”
Hanes worked two scoreless innings, whiffing two and allowing one hit and one walk, and was rewarded with her first win when the Lady Bison bats popped again in the lower sixth.
Mackenzie Lansberry triggered the decisive outburst with one out, drilling a sharp single along the right field line.
“She’s a gamer,” Danver said. “She’s fiery. I like what she brings to the table. She did a great job getting on base, down two runs.”
Karly Rumsky stayed alive by fouling off pitches before finding one she liked and clubbing a double into left center.
“Rumsky came up and battled,” Danver said. “She’s been hitting the ball really well. I’m really happy where she’s at.”
That set the stage for Cline, a three-year letterwinner who led the team in hitting the last two years, and she didn’t disappoint.
Her blast didn’t need even a little breeze to clear the center field fence, putting the Lady Bison in front 8-7.
“There’s nobody I’d rather have come to the plate, second and third with two outs, down two,” Danver said. “And she delivered.”
Bishop followed with her third single and raced around the sacks with the insurance run when Ross blistered a double to deep right center.
Clearfield finished with 13 hits, Bishop joined in the multi-hit column by Cline, Ross and Hand with two apiece off the two Lady Ram hurlers.
“They’re both good pitchers,” Danver said. “The second girl threw a little harder, and we were able to catch up to it.
“We drove a lot of balls the other way, which is good. We’re keeping our weight back and keeping our hands inside and not trying to pull it.”
Penns Valley (3-3, 2-2 ML) was led by Allie O’Brien with three singles and Bumgardner and Kaylah Thompson with two hits apiece.
The Lady Rams took advantage of Lady Bison miscues as well as miscommunication on pop-ups and fly balls in the first three innings to jump ahead 5-0.
“I don’t know what it is, but maybe we need to figure out a different pre-game routine to get us ready to go,” Danver said. “Digging a hole every game like that isn’t how we want to play the whole season.
“I can’t say enough about the way these girls fight back, though. Maybe it takes us (going) around the batting order to get used to the pitcher, start seeing pitches and start hitting the ball well.
“We had quite a few misplays defensively. It was like we didn’t want the ball today, something we’re going to discuss. We have to have a different mindset. We want to be the one to make the play. We definitely need to work in practice.”
The win should be a big confidence-builder for the Lady Bison.
“It was raining this morning and I said to our athletic director ‘We really want to get this game in, because we have a tough week next week. I think we can win this game, and I want to game some confidence.”
The Lady Bison will begin the four-game week by hosting Glendale in non-league action Monday.
PENNS VALLEY — 7
Lydia Collison p-2b 4000, Kaylah Thompson 3b-ss 4320, Kendra Bumgardner ss-p 4021, Ryleigh Cain 2b-3b 4000, Allie O’Brien cf 4131, Ryah Thompson 1b 4011, Caroline Collison c 3000, Morgan Hurd rf 4110, Jordan Anderson dp 2211, Dayna Brown lf (flex) 0000. TOTALS: 33 7 10 4.
CLEARFIELD — 9
Karly Rumsky cf 4110, Erica Hanes c-p 4110, Brooke Cline ss 4223, Aspen Bishop lf 4231, Makayla Ross 1b 4121,Abby Fedder p-3b 3112, Makeeli Redden pr 0000, Lindsay Hand rf 4021, Kate Lansberry dp 2000, Kirstin Norman ph 1000, Mackenzie Lansberry 2b 2110, Kyra Mollura 3b-c (flex) 0000. TOTALS: 32 9 13 8.
Score by Innings
Penns Valley 131 101 0 – 7 10 3
Clearfield 000 234 x – 9 13 4
E – Bumgardner 2, Hurd 1; Hanes, Cline, Fedder, Mollura. PB – C. Collison. DP – Clearfield 1 (M. Lansberry unassisted). LOB – Penns Valley 7; Clearfield 7. 2B – Bumgardner; Rumsky, Ross. HR – Anderson; Cline (1). SB – K. Thompson, Bumgardner 2, O’Brien 2; Hanes, Cline, Bishop.
Pitching
Penns Valley – L. Collison 4+ IP (faced 3 batters in 5th), 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K; Bumgardner 2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.
Clearfield – Fedder 5+ IP (faced 1 batter in 6th), 9 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K; Hanes 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.
WP – L. Collison 2; Fedder 4.
W – Hanes (1-0). L – Bumgardner.
Umpires – Kenny Knepp (plate) and Bud Brennen (bases).
Lady Bison Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
3/23 CENTRAL ppd. 0 – 0
3/26 @ Curwensville 14 – 2 1 – 0
3/27 CENTRAL ppd. 1 – 0
3/29 @ Huntingdon ppd. 1 – 0
4/02 CENTRAL ppd. 1 – 0
4/03 @ Bellefonte ppd. 1 – 0
4/05 @ Huntingdon ppd. 1 – 0
4/06 TYRONE 8 – 18 1 – 1
4/09 @ Bald Eagle Area ppd. 1 – 1
4/11 PUNXSUTAWNEY 7 – 13 1 – 2
4/12 PENNS VALLEY 9 – 7 2 – 2
4/16 GLENDALE
4/17 @ Philipsburg-Osceola
4/19 CENTRAL
4/20 @ Central
4/23 HUNTINGDON
4/24 @ Bellefonte
4/26 BELLEFONTE
4/28 @ Bald Eagle Area
4/30 @ Bradford
5/01 @ Tyrone
5/03 @ Huntingdon
5/04 BALD EAGLE AREA
5/07 @ Penns Valley
5/09 @ Hollidaysburg
5/10 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA
5/14 ALTOONA
