CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield Lady Bison softball team improved to 13-2 on the season with an impressive 11-2 victory against visiting Huntingdon on Senior Night.
The program honored seven seniors for their contributions to the program. Those seven individuals are Alexis Benton, Kylee Hertlein, Lauren Ressler, Alexis Bumbarger, Olivia Bender, Emma Hipps, and Alexis Cole.
It was a historic game in many regards as the grand-slam off the bat of Emma Hipps saw her move into first-place all-time in program history for home runs in a career. Her 19th home run broke a three-way tie involving BJ Bowman and Rachel Hoffman.
Clearfield completed the season sweep over the Lady Bearcats Tuesday, with Emma Hipps going the distance with a complete game victory with 12 strikeouts. She also supported her own cause at the plate with a two for three game at the plate, with four RBIs and three runs scored.
Multi-hit games came courtesy of Kylee Hertlein, Ruby Singleton, Hipps, and Lauren Ressler. Following Hipps’ four RBIs was Ressler and Bender, with three each and Alaina Fedder, who knocked in a run as well.
After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first, Clearfield took the lead in the home half of the inning as the team would plate four. Ruby Singleton and Hipps began the half-inning with back-to-back singles. Lauren Ressler came through with a big two-run double that scored Singleton and Hipps to tie the score right back up at two each.
Olivia Bender was up next and made it the fourth straight hit to begin the bottom of the first with a two-run homer to center to extend the lead to 4-2 in favor of Clearfield. The home run makes it eight in 2022 for Olivia Bender, the team leader in that category.
For the rest of the game, the Huntingdon bats would go quiet, and the Lady Bison offense would make them pay by scoring seven more runs in the game. Clearfield added three more runs in the bottom of the second, as Singleton singled and Hipps walked to put two on with nobody out.
Ressler came through with an RBI single in the next at-bat to extend the lead to 5-2. Hipps and Ressler moved into scoring position on the play, setting up for Bender to squeeze home Hipps to make it a 6-2 game.
With Ressler now at third, getting the job done meant finding any way to get her home. It’s exactly what Fedder did with an RBI groundout to push the seventh Lady Bison run across and make it a five run lead for the home team.
After a scoreless third and fourth, Hipps delivered on a 1-2 offering with two outs that she sent over the left field fence for a grand-slam. The blast plated Hertlein, Bumbarger, and Singleton to make it an 11-2 lead for Clearfield.
Hipps ultimately picked up win number 12 of the season as she held Huntingdon scoreless past the first inning of play.
Clearfield will look for win number 14 of the season as the team is back in action on the road in Spring Mills against Penns Valley on Friday, May 13 at 4:30 p.m.
HUNTINGDON – 2
Simone Bilich (3B) 3110, Jordyn Patrick (LF) 2110, Izzy Reynolds (1B) 3000, CIerra Fultz (SS) 3011, Lexi Beyer (DP) 3000, Alivia Edwards (C) 2000, A. Shope (C) 1000, Lilly Borger (2B) 2000, Hannah Scalia (2B) 1000, Katie Robb (RF) 2000, Paige Wilson (CF) 2000, Maddie Lemin (P) 0000. TOTALS 24 2 3 1.
Batting
2B: Simone Bilich
TB: Jordyn Patrick, Cierra Fultz, Simone Bilich 2
RBI: Cierra Fultz
ROE: Lexi Beyer
CS: Jordyn Patrick
Fielding
E: Cierra Fultz, Simone Bilich, Paige Wilson
CLEARFIELD – 11
Ruby Singleton (CF) 4320, Emma Hipps (P) 3324, Lauren Ressler (1B/C) 4223, Olivia Bender (C) 1113, Paige Houser (PH) 2000, Alaina Fedder (SS/1B) 4011, Alexis Benton (RF) 3010, Kylee Hertlein (2B/SS) 4120, Alexis Bumbarger (3B) 3110, Alexis Cole (LF) 3000, Anna Twigg (DP) 0000. TOTALS 31 11 12 11.
Batting
2B: Lauren Ressler
HR: Olivia Bender, Emma Hipps
Grand slam: Emma Hipps
TB: Olivia Bender 4, Alexis Benton, Alexis Bumbarger, Alaina Fedder, Kylee Hertlein 2, Emma Hipps 5, Lauren Ressler 3, Ruby Singleton 2
RBI: Olivia Bender 3, Alaina Fedder, Emma Hipps 4, Lauren Ressler 3
SAC: Olivia Bender
ROE: Alexis Bumbarger, Ruby Singleton
FC: Alexis Bumbarger, Kylee Hertlein
Fielding
E: Alexis Benton
Score by Inning
Huntingdon 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Clearfield 4 3 0 0 4 0 x.
Pitching
Clearfield
Emma Hipps 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 K.
Huntingdon
Maddie Lemin 6 IP, 12 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, K.
W – Emma Hipps (11-1). L – Maddie Lemin.