HYDE — Erica Hanes punctuated a career game with her sixth hit to chase home Karly Rumsky and Lindsay Hand in the bottom of the ninth inning and give the Clearfield Area High School softball team a 14-13 walk-off win over West Branch on Senior Recognition Day at the Bison Sports Complex Tuesday.
The Lady Bison, who had seen leads of 8-2 and 11-7 dissipate, were down to their last out when Hanes stepped into the batter’s box after already banging out a triple, a double and three singles.
“She was hot, and that’s who we wanted there,” Lady Bison coach Derek Danver said. “It went through my head, ‘Heck, you’re going to get unlucky at some point.’ I was hoping it wasn’t there and, luckily, she hit a hard line drive and it fell.”
Hanes’ rope into left center field made it a special win for the nine seniors who were honored in a ceremony prior to the start of the game arranged the previous day because both teams had lost games due to cancellations.
“It was a great way for them to go out here at home,” said Danver, whose first Lady Bison team will take a 9-11 record into the District 9 Class AAAA Playoffs next week.
The Lady Warriors (14-5) made the hosts work hard for the win in a thriller that featured 13 extra base blows, one a monster home run by Lady Bison Aspen Bishop, among the 35 hits sprayed around the fenceless junior varsity field utilized because of water on the main diamond.
The Moshannon Valley League champions forced extra innings with three runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and, after Clearfield opened an 11-7 lead, four in the seventh.
Elishea Reed doubled and Kayleigh MacTavish tripled, both to deep left field, to ignite the Lady Warriors. Skylar Ceprish drew a walk before Julie Herring slapped a single to right for an RBI. Ceprish then stole home when Herring broke for second and was out in a rundown.
MacTavish came through with a two-run single off Hanes in the sixth that prompted Danver to return Abby Fedder to the circle. Hanes had relieved with one out in the fifth.
Fedder was in position to earn both a win and a save going to the seventh, but the Lady Warriors had other ideas in a rally prolonged by Clearfield’s only two miscues.
Reed drilled a two-run double inside third base, MacTavish picked up her fourth RBI with a grounder that was misplayed and Ceprish followed with a game-tying single into left field.
Fedder escaped by inducing two grounders to the left side for forceouts at third base.
Senior ace Lizzy Scott set down the Lady Bison in order in the lower seventh and then put the Lady Warriors ahead in the first extra frame with a two-out triple to center that plated Mallarie Maines, running for Bri Bone who had punched a single to right.
Clearfield averted defeat with an unearned run on Makayla Ross’ sacrifice fly, with Brooke Cline just beating the throw to the plate.
West Branch reclaimed the lead in the ninth on Ceprish’s single, a wild pitch and Alaina Speigle’s double down the left field line. Ruthie Betts followed with a single before Fedder got the final out to strand the two runners in scoring position.
“It was up and down the whole game,” Danver said. “We did stuff really good, and they did stuff really good, and they battled back. We took a lead, they took a lead.
“Hats off to my girls for never giving up. Twice in extra innings we had to score to keep the game alive.”
The Lady Bison went one run better the second time to end it.
Kate Lansberry legged out an infield hit, and pinch-runner Mollura was forced out by Rumsky before Hand added a spark with a hard single to right.
Both runners moved up a base on Mackenzie Lansberry’s flyout to right, setting the stage for Hanes to become the hero and make Fedder the winning pitcher.
“That was a huge win going into the playoffs,” Danver said. “We hit the ball, which I was happy with.
“It was a good game all-around. There were a lot of hard-hit balls.”
None harder than Bishop’s blast to very, very deep left center in the fourth inning.
“I think it would have been out of the Penelec (Bucky Strunk Memorial) Field down by the Knights of Columbus,” Danver said.
Or any other softball field with a fence.
Bishop’s sixth homer of the season capped Clearfield’s three-run sixth inning that made it 11-7.
She had a two-run double on a high fly that landed just inside the right field line for the key hit in the Lady Bison’s four-run outburst in the fourth inning for the 8-2 bulge.
The Lady Bison had posted a four-spot in the first inning on two-out, two-run singles by Fedder and Kate Lansberry after a double by Hanes and walks to Cline and Bishop had filled the sacks.
Ross and Kate Lansberry also had pairs of hits, while Cline scored four runs after reaching base on three walks and a single. Hanes and Bishop crossed home plate three times apiece.
Scott, Reed and Betts each had three of West Branch’s 19 hits. MacTavish, Ceprish, Herring, Speigle and Bone added two apiece.
Danver credited his outfielders for their work on a busy afternoon as they had to chase down seven extra base hits and several fly balls.
“That was tough playing on a field with no fence,” he said. “You have no way to gauge your depth. We haven’t even practiced on this field. There were a couple balls that got in the gaps, but we made some nice plays out there.”
Bishop, Cline, Fedder, Hand, Hanes, Kate Lansberry, Mackenzie Lansberry, Ross and Kirstin Norman were the Lady Bison seniors introduced along with their parents.
Lady Warrior seniors Scott, MacTavish, Ceprish, Speigle and Sarah Betts also were recognized.
WEST BRANCH — 13
Lizzy Scott p 5331, Elishea Reed c 6232, Kayleigh MacTavish lf 5124, Skylar Ceprish 4221, Julia Herring ss 6121, Alaina Speigle 1b 5021, Ruthie Betts 3b 6030, Bri Bone dp 5120, Mallarie Maines pr 0100, Sarah Betts 2b 5200, Charis Gallaher rf 0000. TOTALS: 47 13 19 11.
CLEARFIELD — 14
Mackenzie Lansberry 2b 6000, Erica Hanes 3b-p-3b 6362, Brooke Cline ss 2411, Aspen Bishop lf 4324, Makayla Ross 1b 4022, Alyssa Rowles pr 0000, Abby Fedder p 5112, Kirstin Norman 3b 0000, Kate Lansberry dp 5022, Kyra Mollura c-pr (flex) 0000, Karly Rumsky cf 5210, Lindsay Hand rf 4111, Casey English ph 0000. TOTALS: 41 14 16 14.
Score by Innings
West Branch 001 132 211 – 13 19 2
Clearfield 400 403 012 – 14 16 2
E – Speigle, S. Betts; M. Lansberry, Hanes. DP – West Branch 1 (Herring unassisted). LOB – West Branch 13; Clearfield 7. 2B – Reed 2, Speigle, R. Betts; Hanes, Cline, Bishop. 3B – Scott, MacTavish, Herring; Hanes, Rumsky. HR – Bishop (6). SF – Ross. SB – Scott, Ceprish; Hanes, Cline, Bishop Rowles. CS – Herring (by Mollura).
Pitching
West Branch – Scott 8-2/3 IP, 16 H, 14 R, 12 ER, 5 BB, 5 K.
Clearfield – Fedder 7-2/3 IP, 15 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 2 B, 4 K; Hanes 1-1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 0 K.
WP – Fedder 2.
W – Fedder (6-11). L – Scott (14-4).
Umpires – Norm Bender (plate) and Ray Sudik (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 ppd. 2 – 2
4/17 @ Philipsburg-Osceola ppd. 2 – 2
4/18 @ Philipsburg-Osceola 2 – 8 2 – 3
4/19 CENTRAL ppd. 2 – 3
4/20 @ Central 8 – 6 3 – 3
4/20 @ Central 5 – 11 3 – 4
4/23 HUNTINGDON 10 – 3 4 – 4
4/24 @ Bellefonte 11 – 16 4 – 5
4/26 BELLEFONTE 9 – 20 4 – 6
4/28 @ Bald Eagle Area 4 – 14 4 – 7
4/30 @ Bradford 23 – 0 5 – 7
5/01 @ Tyrone 1 – 4 5 – 8
5/02 GLENDALE cancelled 5 – 8
5/03 @ Huntingdon 4 – 3 6 – 8
5/04 BALD EAGLE AREA 1 – 7 6 – 9
5/07 @ Penns Valley 2 – 3 6 – 10
5/08 BROOKVILLE 4 – 1 7 – 10
5/09 @ Hollidaysburg 12 – 6 8 – 10
5/10 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA 2 – 6 8 – 11
5/14 ALTOONA cancelled 8 – 11
5/15 WEST BRANCH 14 – 13 9 – 11
TBD District 9 AAAA Playoffs