HYDE — The Clearfield Area High School baseball team has been struggling through an early-season power outage, but senior Eli Glass changed that with one mighty swing at the Bison Sports Complex Thursday afternoon.
The Bison seemingly were on their way to a fourth consecutive game without an extra base hit until Glass hammered a grand slam home run deep over the right-center field fence to erase Curwensville’s 2-0 lead in the non-league game.
That was more than enough for Cade Walker, who came back on one-day’s rest to pitch a complete game for the 5-2 win that leveled the Bison’s record at 2-2.
The junior left-hander, who threw 38 pitches in relief and was tagged with the 2-1 loss to Philipsburg-Osceola Tuesday, fashioned a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts and three walks.
“He may have walked three, but he was around the plate the whole game,” Clearfield coach Sid Lansberry said, adding that Walker’s pitch count reached 98.
“Walker was tough,” Curwensville mentor Tom Harzinski concurred. “We didn’t have good approaches at the plate sometimes. We had too many strikeouts. We needed to put the ball in play.”
The Golden Tide did in their first look at Walker.
Noah VonGunden rammed a double up the right-center alley and scored when Jake Mullins’ sacrifice bunt was thrown away.
Avery Francisco followed with what should have been a double to deep right field to chase home Mullins, but a Clearfield challenge that the Golden Tide senior did not touch first base was upheld, resulting in an out and no hit but an RBI and a 2-0 lead.
“It was a tough call,” Harzinski said. “We came out on fire and hitting the ball, but then we kind of left some opportunities on the field.”
Curwensville (2-3) did have runners at second base in the first three innings, but Walker ended the first with a strikeout, the second with two strikeouts and the third with three strikeouts.
“After they scored, he was in control the rest of the way,” Lansberry said.
However, the Bison weren’t generating much of an offense against Jeremiah Farley, who was working on a three-hit shutout through four innings and missed a complete game by one out.
“Jeremiah pitched a heck of a game,” Harzinski said. “He did everything we asked him to do.”
The Bison finally got to him in the fifth with five of their nine hits producing all of their runs.
With one out, Nick Domico rolled a single through the middle, Caullin Reed lined a single to right and Nate Barr was hit by a pitch to set the stage for Glass’ monster dinger.
“First pitch. Game,” Lansberry said. “That’s a clutch hit if I’ve ever seen one. I’m just glad he’s on my team.”
Harzinski’s reaction was, “Hat’s off to him. He’s a good hitter.”
Clearfield tacked on another run with Allan Myers doubling down the third base line and Walker ripping a single into right.
“We had no real threats except that inning,” Lansberry said. “Farley just threw strikes and we were popping the ball up. Out on our front foot. Not waiting.
“Curwensville is a much-improved defensive team, too. They made some good plays.
“That was pretty disappointing the way we went on and on without doing anything, and giving up two runs early puts you in the hole and makes you panic a little bit.”
Until Glass came through with the Bison’s first extra base blow in more than 25 innings.
He and Domico had two hits apiece off Farley, who had one strikeout and no walks before giving way to Christian Bakaysa in the lower sixth.
Clearfield travels to Tyrone for a Mountain League game Friday, while Curwensville looks to bounce back in a Northern Allegany League Small School encounter with Elk County Catholic Monday.
CURWENSVILLE — 2
Noah VonGunden ss 4110, Jake Mullins 2b 3110, Avery Francisco rf-lf 3001, Jake McCracken cf 2000, Ralph Evans 1b 3010, Jeremy Irwin pr 0000, Matt Brown 3b 3000, Christian Bakaysa lf-p 1000, Chase Graham c 0000, Adam Straw pr 0000, Keegan Wilson dh 3000, Jeremiah Farley p 1000, James Stiles ph 1000, Cole Bressler rf 1000. TOTALS: 25 2 3 1.
CLEARFIELD — 5
Caullin Reed ss 4110, Nate Barr cf 2100, Eli Glass 1b 3124, Harrison Peacock 3010, Allan Myers c 3111, Cade Walker p 3011, Hayden Williams 2b 3010, Karson Rumsky lf 0000, Hunter Hipps dh 3000, Nick Domico rf 3120. TOTALS: 27 5 9 5.
Score by Innings
Curwensville 200 000 0 – 2 3 2
Clearfield 000 050 x – 5 9 3
E – Mullins, Francisco; Reed 2, Walker. DP – Clearfield 1 (Williams, Reed and Glass). LOB – Curwensville 6; Clearfield 5. 2B – Evans; Myers. HR – Glass (1). Sac – Mullins. SB – Bakaysa.
Pitching
Curwensville – Farley 5-2/3 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 1 K; Bakaysa 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
Clearfield – Walker 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 12 K.
HB – Farley 1 (Barr). BK – Farley 1.
W – Walker (1-1). L – Farley.
Umpires – Jerry Neal (plate) and Sam Bevak (bases).