HUNTINGDON – A 14 strikeout performance from senior ace Emma Hipps and plenty of run support were the perfect match in Clearfield’s third straight win as the Lady Bison cruised to an 11-0 road victory in five innings Wednesday evening over Huntingdon (0-3).
Their second win in as many days, this game was hardly in doubt once the Lady Bison scored five runs in the top of the second and saw Hipps strike out five of the first six batters she faced in the game. The lineup was on fire as every batter in the order found their way into the hit column in the impressive road win.
After a scoreless first inning, the top of the second was started by Alaina Fedder who singled to lead off for Clearfield. After Alexis Benton hit into a fielder’s choice and reached first, a Kylee Hertlein RBI single brought her in after she advanced to second earlier in the at-bat. Hertlein advanced to second on the throw, and the Lady Bison were in business with one run in and one still in scoring position.
Alexis Bumbarger came through next with an RBI triple to make it a 2-0 lead. Bumbarger scored in the next at-bat as Lexi Cole singled to make it a 3-0 Lady Bison lead. Ruby Singleton came to the plate next and kept the rally going with a single of her own to put runners on first and second with one away. After the second out of the inning, Lauren Ressler reached on an error that allowed Cole to score to make it a four run lead.
Olivia Bender was due up next and reached on a second straight error by Huntingdon. In the process, Singleton came around to score to complete the five run inning for the Lady Bison.
Emma Hipps would sit nine of the next 10 batters she faced down on strikes in the game as the senior went over 500 career strikeouts for her career. The Clarion commit currently holds the school record at 512 in her three-year varsity softball career.
The Lady Bison would add six more insurance runs in the game, with five coming in the top of the fourth inning. After a Singleton leadoff double, Hipps belted a two-run homer to center to make it a 7-0 game.
Ressler followed up the Hipps big fly with an extra-base-hit of her own; a triple to right to keep the pressure on the Lady Bearcats from Huntingdon. After an Olivia Bender walk put runners on the corners, Fedder did her job on the sacrifice-fly to center that scored Ressler to make it an 8-0 Clearfield lead.
Alexis Benton came through next with an RBI double that scored Bender to extend the lead to nine. After the second out, Bumbarger walked to keep the inning alive. She would score on a Cole single after some miscues in the field from Huntingdon, saw her go from first to home. After the visitors half of the fourth, Clearfield led 10-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, Izzy Reynolds broke up the perfect game from Hipps with a single, the lone offense of the evening for the Lady Bearcats. Hipps continued to cruise on the mound, and the Lady Bison added one last run in the top of the fifth inning as Olivia Bender blasted a solo shot to center and put the cherry on top of a total team victory for Clearfield.
Next up for the reigning District 9 champions (3-0) is a showdown on Monday, April 18 with visiting Penns Valley. The contest is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. at the Bison Varsity Softball Field.
CLEARFIELD – 11
Ruby Singleton (CF) 3230, Emma Hipps (P) 4112, Lauren Ressler (1B) 4110, Olivia Bender (C) 3211, Alaina Fedder (SS) 3011, Alexis Benton (RF) 4211, Kylee Hertlein (2B) 3111, Alexis Bumbarger (3B) 2121, Alexis Cole (DP) 3122 Anna Twigg (FLEX/LF) 0000. TOTALS 29 11 13 9.
Batting
2B: Alexis Benton, Ruby Singleton
3B: Alexis Bumbarger, Lauren Ressler
HR: Olivia Bender, Emma Hipps
TB: Olivia Bender 4, Alexis Benton 2, Alexis Bumbarger 4, Alexis Cole 2, Alaina Fedder, Kylee Hertlein, Emma Hipps 4, Lauren Ressler 3, Ruby Singleton 4
RBI: Olivia Bender, Alexis Benton, Alexis Bumbarger, Alexis Cole 2, Alaina Fedder, Kylee Hertlein, Emma Hipps 2
SF: Alaina Fedder
ROE: Olivia Bender, Lauren Ressler
FC: Alexis Benton
HBP: Ruby Singleton
SB: Ruby Singleton
HUNTINGDON – 0
Jordyn Patrick (P) 2000, Izzy Reynolds (3B) 2010, Cierra Fultz (SS) 2000, Simone Bilich (CF) 2000, Maddie Lemin (DH) 2000, Alivia Edwards (C) 2000, Hannah Scalia (1B) 2000, Cameron Staley (2B) 1000, Paige Wilson (RF) 1000, Lilly Borger (FLEX/LF) 0000. TOTALS 16 0 1 0.
Batting
TB: Izzy Reynolds
Fielding
E: Alivia Edwards, Cameron Staley 2
Score by Inning
Clearfield 0 5 0 5 1 x x
Huntingdon 0 0 0 0 0 x x
Pitching
Clearfield
Emma Hipps 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 14 K.
Huntingdon
Jordyn Patrick 3.1 IP 9 H 10 R 8 ER 0 BB.
Maddie Lemin 1.2 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB K.
W – Emma Hipps (3-0). L – Jordyn Patrick.