HYDE — The Clearfield Lady Bison ran their winning streak to three games as they won in dramatic fashion against the visiting Central Lady Dragons on Tuesday afternoon by plating four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull out a 7-6 win.
The win put the Lady Bison record at 6-8, while the Lady Dragons, who had defeated Clearfield 13-7 in the season opener, fell to 8-9.
Due to the recent wet weather, the game was played on the junior varsity field at the Bison Sports Complex. Not having a fence and lots of room in the outfield definitely had an impact on the game.
Clearfield got out to an early lead, plating single runs in the first and second innings.
Senior centerfielder Ruby Singleton started off the bottom of the first inning with a double down the left field line, the 32nd in her career, tying her with 2022 graduate Lauren Ressler for the school record.
Madi McBride moved Singleton over to third with a grounder to the right side, and Aevril Hayward brought Singleton home with the game’s first run with a single up the middle.
The second inning saw Alexus Green work Central starting pitcher Madison Kennedy for a lead off walk. Anna Twigg moved Green to second with a ground out, and Paige Houser moved Green to third with a single to right field, then stole second, placing two runners in scoring position. After the second out, Singleton singled to center field to score Green. A perfect relay from centerfielder Kaylee Kensinger to shortstop Aubrey Rhodes to catcher Bralyn Ellis nailed Houser at the plate for the final out.
Meanwhile, Lady Bison starting pitcher Megan Wisor was keeping Central off the board through the first four innings.
Things changed dramatically in the top of the fifth though, as the visitors plated five runs, only two of them earned, to take a 5-2 lead. Central had three hits, received a walk, and the Lady Bison committed two errors and a wild pitch that scored a run in the inning.
The Lady Bison answered in the bottom of the fifth on one swing of the bat by Singleton, who lined one to deep center and circled the bases with her fifth homerun of the year, cutting the deficit to 5-3.
The game remained 5-3 until the seventh inning when Central’s Ellis blasted a solo homerun deep to left-center that would have been easily out of most ballparks.
The 6-3 Lady Dragon lead looked like it would be enough as the game headed to the final at-bat of the game.
Lefthander Haley Billotte drilled a full count line drive double down the left field line to start things off for the Lady Bison. Central then decided to intentionally walk the three for three Singleton, placing the tying run at the plate with no out and runners on first and second. McBride then grounded out advancing the runners to second and third. Hayward also grounded out, plating Billotte to cut the lead to 6-4, leaving the Bison with two outs and a runner on third in Singleton. Eve Siegel, who had hit the ball well twice in the game with nothing to show for it, then hit a comebacker to Kennedy, who bobbled the ball, which the hustling Siegel then beat the throw to first, scoring Singleton to make it 6-5. Sam Campolong then delivered a triple on a line drive to a spacious right center field, plating Siegel with the tying run. Then with a 1-1 count, and two outs on the board, Green delivered a single that scored Campolong with the winning run, 7-6.
Wisor earned the complete game win, her second in a row, by giving up three earned runs, allowing two walks, and striking out four.
The no-quit Lady Bison will look to run their win streak to four when they host Somerset on Wednesday at the Bison Sport Complex.
Central 000 050 1 6 10 2
Clearfield 110 010 4 7 11 3
CENTRAL — 6
P Madison Kennedy 4111, SS Aubrey Rhodes 4111, 1B Alexis Fetzer 4120, C Bralyn Ellis 4121, LF Ashlynn Renner 4110, CF Kaylee Kensinger 4011, 3B Riley Peterson 3010, DP Norah Bechtel 3010, 2B Marah Dickson 2100, TOTALS 32 6 10 4.
2B – Ellis. 3B – Kennedy. HR – Ellis. E – Kensinger, Kennedy.
CLEARFIELD — 7
CF Ruby Singleton 3332, LF Madi McBride 4020, SS Aevril Hayward 4012, RF Eve Siegel 4100, 3B Sam Campolong 4121, DP Alexus Green 2111, PH Raigan Uncles 1000, C Anna Twigg 3000, 2B Paige Houser 3010, 1B Haley Billotte 3110, P/flex Megan Wisor 0000, TOTALS 30 7 11 6.
2B – Billotte, Singleton. 3B – Campolong. HR – Singleton (5). SB – Houser. E – Hayward – 2, Singleton.
Pitching
Wisor (W) 7 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Kennedy (L) 6.2 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
LADY BISON SCOREBOARD:
Date Opponent Score Record
3/19 @ Central ppd. 0 – 0
3/21 BELLEFONTE ppd. 0 – 0
3/22 @ Central 7 – 13 0 – 1
3/25 BELLEFONTE 3 – 17 0 – 2
3/28 TYRONE 13 – 16 0 – 3
4/02 @ Hollidaysburg ppd. 0 – 3
4/05 SOMERSET ppd. 0 – 3
4/09 HUNTINGDON 5 – 8 0 – 4
4/11 GREATER JOHNSTOWN ppd. 0 – 4
4/12 @ Forest Hills ppd. 0 – 4
4/16 @ Philipsburg-Osceola 6 – 2 1 – 4
4/18 ST. MARYS 0 – 12 1 – 5
4/19 DUBOIS ppd. 1 – 5
4/22 BELLWOOD-ANTIS 13 – 3 2 – 5
4/23 @ Penns Valley 10 – 15 2 – 6
4/24 @ Forest Hills 0 – 3 2 – 7
4/26 @ Bishop Carroll 12 – 1 3 – 7
4/30 BALD EAGLE AREA 0 – 10 3 – 8
5/01 @ Huntingdon 10 – 9, 10 inn. 4 – 8
5/03 GREATER JOHNSTOWN 14 – 0 5 – 8
5/06 SOMERSET ppd. 5 – 8
5/07 CENTRAL 7 – 6 6 – 8
5/08 SOMERSET
5/09 @ Bellefonte
5/13 @ Hollidaysburg
5/14 BRADFORD
5/15 PUNXSUTAWNEY
5/16 DUBOIS