HYDE — Not many schoolboy baseball teams are going to emerge victorious with only four singles unless holding the opponent to a run or two, but the Clearfield Bison were able to beat those odds Tuesday.
Six of 10 walks they received from three Huntingdon pitchers were instrumental in all of their runs in a 6-4 Mountain League win at the rain-drenched Bison Sports Complex.
A four-run fourth inning swung the outcome in Clearfield’s favor, and the rally that erased a 3-1 deficit started with back-to-back free passes to Nick Domico and Hunter Hipps.
The Bison got some more help when Caullin Reed struck out on a low pitch but reached base on a throwing error that allowed Domico to score.
After Bearcat ace Rece Ritchey was pulled in favor of Isaac Snare, Nate Barr rifled a liner to left field that Draven Zook lost in the sun and fell for an RBI single that tied the score.
A walk to Eli Glass pushed Reed and Barr into scoring position, and they went station to station on Hayden Williams’ high fly that fell in short left center and Cade Walker’s groundout for the 5-3 lead.
Ritchey’s early exit, in large part due to seven walks that ran up his pitch count, was all-important, according to Bison coach Sid Lansberry.
“He’s a good pitcher,” Lansberry said. “He has D-I stuff. His curve ball is phenomenal. Had he not gotten himself in trouble, I don’t know if we could have scored much.”
Lansberry was pleased with the Bison’s patience at the plate, though, saying “We didn’t hit well, but we had good at-bats.”
He labeled their last safety a big one.
That belonged to Walker, who slashed an RBI single to left center off Nick Troha in the sixth inning for what turned out to be a run that loomed large in the seventh inning, when the Bearcats got to Hunter Dixon for a run and had the bases loaded with two outs.
Walker was presented with his opportunity because Hayden Williams stole second after forcing out Glass, who had led off by drawing his third walk.
Draven Zook’s double to deep center and Zack Peck’s RBI single gave Huntingdon (5-7, 3-6 ML) life in the seventh. A walk and a Bison misplay had the visitors a hit away from tying the score or possibly taking the lead, but Dixon induced a slow roller to third baseman Harrison Peacock for the final out.
Dixon came away with his first save with a stint of 2-2/3 innings after Glass issued his fourth walk on his 100th pitch in the fifth inning.
Glass gave up five hits and three runs, two earned, in 4-1/3 innings to record his third win in four decisions. He struck out five.
“Eli didn’t have his best stuff, but he hung in there and gave us enough innings so Hunter only threw 37 pitches,” Lansberry said. “I was afraid he would have to throw more than 50 and be done for Thursday. That was my main concern.
“But Hunter came in and threw strikes, did what he’s supposed to do.”
Dixon had two strikeouts and the lone walk while giving up two hits.
Heavy rains caused two delays and slowed down the pace of play in the early innings as the teams combined to strand 11 runners through three.
The Bearcats tallied an unearned run in the first, and the Bison saw a golden opportunity go by the boards when Ritchey walked Reed and Glass around the first of Barr’s two hits but followed up with three strikeouts.
Clearfield did knot the score in the second frame thanks to two more walks. With runners at the corners and two outs, Peacock stole home when Reed broke for second and got caught in a rundown.
“That was an important play at the time,” Lansberry said.
Zook’s triple to the fence in center and a passed ball had the Bearcats back on top in the third, and Tyson Cook drilled a home run to left field in the fourth for the 3-1 advantage that the Bison wiped out in their half of the inning.
Huntingdon would have enjoyed an even bigger lead but for Walker’s diving catch near the left field line that robbed Ritchey of extra bases with two runners aboard in the third frame.
“That was a great catch and very important,” Lansberry said, also lauding Peacock and Reed for gobbling up hard-hit grounders by Gearhart and Cook in the sixth inning. “Those balls get through, we’re in trouble.”
Barr had two hits for the Bison, who are 5-4 in the ML and 7-4 overall.
Clearfield will go on the road Thursday to take on league-leading Philipsburg-Osceola.
HUNTINGDON — 4
Jake Wagner cf 2100, Jack Ritchey 2b 4000, Draven Zook lf 4221, Casey Connor 1b 3000, Zack Peck 3b 4021, Nick Troha c-p 2010, Jerry Safko cr 0000, Rece Ritchey p-rf 3000, Nick Gearhart ss 4010, Tyson Cook rf 2111, Isaac Snare p-c 1000. TOTALS: 28 4 7 3.
CLEARFIELD – 6
Caullin Reed ss 2100, Nate Barr cf 4121, Eli Glass p-1b 0000, Nolan Barr pr 0000, Hayden Williams 2b 3111, Cade Walker lf 4012, Allan Myers c 3000, Harrison Peacock 3b 3100, Nick Domico rf 2100, Karson Rumsky 1b 0000, Hunter Dixon p 0000, Hunter Hipps dh 2100. TOTALS: 23 6 4 4.
Score by Innings
Huntingdon 101 100 1 – 4 7 1
Clearfield 010 400 1 – 6 4 3
E- Troha; Myers, Peacock, Rumsky. PB – Troha. LOB – Huntingdon 10; Clearfield 10. 2B – Zook. 3B – Zook. HR – Cook. Sac – J. Ritchey, R. Ritchey. SB – Wagner, Gearhart; Williams, Peacock. CS – Reed (by R. Ritchey).
Pitching
Huntingdon – R. Ritchey 3-1/3 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 7 K; Snare 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K; Troha 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.
Clearfield – Glass 4-1/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K; Dixon 2-2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.
HB – R. Ritchey 1 (Glass). WP – R. Ritchey 2, Troha 1. PO – Dixon 1 (Safko).
W – Glass (3-1). L – R. Ritchey (1-3). Sv – Dixon (1).
Umpires – Mike Campbell (plate) and Terry Bean (bases).
Bison Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
3/25 @ Bald Eagle Area 10 – 1 1 – 0
3/28 @ Huntingdon 6 – 8 1 – 1
4/02 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA 1 – 2 1 – 2
4/04 CURWENSVILLE 5 – 2 2 – 2
4/05 @ Tyrone ppd. 2 – 2
4/06 @ Tyrone 2 – 3, 9 inn. 2 – 3
4/08 PENNS VALLEY 6 – 2 3 – 3
4/09 BROOKVILLE 22 – 12 4 – 3
4/11 @ Central 10 – 4 5 – 3
4/16 BELLEFONTE ppd. 5 – 3
4/17 @ Bellefonte 0 – 8 5 – 4
4/18 BALD EAGLE AREA 4 – 2 6 – 4
4/23 HUNTINGDON 6 – 4 7 – 4
4/25 @ Philipsburg-Osceola
4/29 PUNXSUTAWNEY
4/30 TYRONE
5/03 @ Penns Valley
5/06 CENTRAL
5/08 @ Bradford
5/09 BELLEFONTE
5/13 @ Curwensville
5/16 @ DuBois