HYDE — There has been no shortage of words to describe the season for the Clearfield Bison on the baseball diamond. Unexpected, unique, different; they all describe how the schedule kept changing. But words like frustrating also come to mind, as the Bison did not experience the season they had hoped for after having 2020 stolen away. But, there was one final opportunity to show what the team could do on Thursday afternoon. Despite the warm temperatures, the Bison stepped onto the diamond just outside the Clearfield Junior/Senior High School for the season finale, a Mountain League contest against the Bellefonte Red Raiders.
Clearfield got behind early, but stayed with it, and when the final out was posted, it was the team clad in black and white taking home the win, as the Bison truly battled to victory over Bellefonte, 5-2.
The Red Raiders got the first run of the afternoon in the opening inning. Clearfield put their ace on the hill, Hunter Dixon, but gave up a pair of singles to the first two batters. Dixon was able to get a pick off at first when he caught Bobby Marsh too far out in his lead, and Nick Domico got the tag. However, two batters later, Seth Shuey would manage to connect into left field. Although it only was a single, Nick Capparelle would hustle his way around the bases to put the visitors ahead by a run.
Dixon settled down, as in his final home start of his high school career, he would nearly go the distance on the hill. His six and one-third innings saw him only strike out four, but only yield a pair of runs, earning the eventual victory.
The Bison would turn things around in the bottom of the third, thrilling the home crowd that came out to see the final game of the season.
Morgen Billotte led things off when he reached base on an error from Nick Capparelle. Nolan Barr then cracked a line drive to short stop Triston Heckman, putting runners on the corners. Karson Rumsky then smacked a liner up the third baseline, but Zach Swanger couldn’t manage the ball, while Billotte crossed home plate to tie the game. Nick Domico managed to connect with his bat into left field, and Barr rounded home from second to put Clearfield into the lead.
Two batters later, Matt Bailor hit an RBI-single into right field, bringing Karson Rumsky to the plate and making the score 3-1, but it was still not all the Bison had to offer. Blake Prestash sacrificed an out to put the final run on the board in the inning, making it 4-1 after three innings, which in the end was the only lead change on the afternoon.
Clearfield added one more run an inning later. With runners on first and second, Domico hit a grounder to the gap between second and third. Barr would round home from second base, but the Red Raiders executed a 6-3 double play to put up two outs. Elensky lined out to end the inning, but the 5-1 lead was enough for Clearfield to hang on through the remainder of the game.
Marsh got dinged with the loss on the afternoon after giving up the four runs in the third, going only two and one-third innings, giving up four hits and striking out one.
Bellefonte made a charge early in the seventh inning as thanks to an error and a double, the Red Raiders had runners on the corners. Shuey would ground out, but the out would allow Capparelle to put a second run on the tally. Dixon was pulled from the mound and Elensky made the move to the hill to finish out the game. He would do just that as Max Rogers ground out to first for the second out, and Alex Ebeling watched the third strike go right past him to the waiting glove of Bailor, finishing out the game and the season in winning fashion.
Clearfield finishes the 2021 regular season with a record of 7-11-1.
SCORE BY INNING
Bellefonte 100 000 1 – 2 10 2
Clearfield 004 100 X – 5 8 2
Bellefonte – 2
Bobby Marsh-1B 3010, Nick Capparelle-2B 4220, Derek Fravel-1B 4020, Seth Shuey-LF 3012, Max Rogers-C 4020, Alex Ebeling-RF 4000, Zach Swanger-3B 1010, Gavin Fravel-PH/P 2000, Braedyn Kormanic 3000, Triston Heckman-SS 3010. 31 2 10 2.
Clearfield – 5
Morgen Billotte-3B 4100, Nolan Barr-2B 3220, Karson Rumsky-CF 4121, Nick Domico-1B 3121, Kyle Elensky-SS/P 3000, Matt Bailor-C 3011, Blake Prestash-DH/3B 1001, Hunter Dixon-P/1B 2000, Cole Bloom-RF 3010. TOTALS 26 5 8 4.
LOB: 10/9
E: Capparelle, Swanger/Elensky-2
ROE: G. Fravel, Capparelle/Billotte, Rumsky
2B: D. Fravel, Swanger/Domico
SF: Prestash
GIDP: Eberling/Domico
PIK: Marsh
Pitching
Bellefonte: Marsh-2.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 1 SO, 4 BB; G. Fravel-3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 SO, 1 BB.
Clearfield: Dixon-6.1 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 SO, 2 BB; Elensky-0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 SO, 0 BB.
W-Dixon
L-Marsh