MARTINSBURG — Spring was in the air on Tuesday afternoon, which was a welcome feeling after the wild weather over the weekend. It also meant that baseball was in the air, and for the Clearfield Bison, it meant a road trip to start the season on the diamond. The opening game of the year was a trip out to Martinsburg for a Laurel Highlands clash against the Central Dragons.
Clearfield would rally late in this contest, sparked by a fifth-inning spark, to take a season-opening win, 14-8, over the Dragons.
The Bison got the first run of the year in the second inning. After Kam Kushner doubled to center, and Braison Patrick walked, and Noah Wriglesworth hit a grounder to short. Lukas Black mishandled the throw for the out, which allowed Kushner to round home from second to give the Bison the early lead.
Central wasted little time getting the run back, and more, as they answered in the bottom half of the inning.
With one out on the board, but runners on second and third, Black took a 1-0 pitch from starting pitcher Christian Welker and hammered the ball into center field. The RBI-double tied the game. The next batter, Wyatt Dilling, stared down an 0-2 pitch and lined the ball into center field. The shot cleared the bases for a two-RBI double to put the Dragons ahead, 3-1. Dilling scored two batters later when Jay Hoenstine reached base as Braison Patrick mishandled a pop fly to short. The 4-1 lead held when Kyle Klotz flew out to center.
Both squads traded a pair of scoreless innings, but the fifth is when the Bison saw things come to life.
Mason Sparks started the day for Central, giving up the lone run in the second. To start the fifth, he walked Connor Peacock, but then right afterwards got relieved by Mason Byler. After Peacock took advantage of a wild pitch and made it to second, O’Brian Owens flew to left field and pulled a double. Hayden Rumsky got struck on a 1-1 pitch, loading the bases with still no one out. Welker then launched a sacrifice fly to left field, cutting the lead to 4-2. Byler walked Matt Irvin, loading the bases once again, then struck Kushner to make it 4-3.
Patrick then connected on a full count shot to right field, tying up the game on an RBI-single. Wriglesworth then followed it up with his own RBI-single to center, bringing Irvin home and giving Clearfield the lead, a lead they never relinquished.
After Jayce Brothers struck out, Clearfield added another five runs when Peacock took a bases-loaded walk, then Owens nailed an RBI-single to center, and Rumsky then cleared the bases with a massive three-RBI double to right field to make it 10-4.
The eight earned runs given up by Byler would give him the loss on the afternoon in just one inning of work.
Central got two more runs in the bottom of the inning, but Clearfield put the game out of reach in the final inning with a four-run seventh. With the bases loaded following Peacock getting hit, a single by Owens, and an intentional walk to Rumsky, Welker watched a full-count pitch go outside the box, and the bases-loaded walk made it 11-6, and then Irvin saw the same fate one batter later.
The Dragons got two outs on a 6-4-3 double play on a grounder by Kam Kushner, but it allowed Rumsky to make it home. Rex Butler then finished the scoring for Clearfield on an RBI-double to left field.
Clearfield relied on Brothers to close out the afternoon, and despite giving up two runs in the bottom of the seventh, he would earn the save for Clearfield in a three-inning relief effort, striking out five and walking just two.
Getting the first win under their belt gives Clearfield (1-0) a solid start to the year. The Bison will start their home slate for the year on Thursday when they host Bellefonte. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.
SCORE BY INNING
Clearfield 010 090 4 – 14 9 5
Central 040 020 2 – 8 11 2
Clearfield – 14
Hayden Rumsky-rf 3213, Christian Welker-p 3103, Matt Irvin-1b 1101, Kam Kushner-cf 4211, Braison Patrick-ss 2111, Rex Butler-lf 2021, Noah Wriglesworth-2b 5112, Jayce Brothers-dh/p 4000, Connor Peacock-3b 1301. TOTALS 30 14 9 14.
Central – 8
Lukas Black-ss 3211, Wyatt Dilling-3b 5232, Troy McNichol-dh 5011, Jay Hoenstine-2b 5031, Kyle Klotz-c 4000, Mason Byler-1b/p 4000, Jesse Muthler-lf 3100, Coltin Harbaugh-cr 0000, Adam Loucks-cf 3210, Josh Beltz-rf 4120. TOTALS 36 8 11 5.
- 2B: Rumsky, Butler, Kushner, Owens/Dilling, Hoenstine, Black
- HBP: Rumsky, Kushner, Welker, Peacock/Klotz, Harbaugh, Byler
- SB: Brothers/Hoenstine
- CS: Dilling
- E: Patrick-3, Peacock-2/Black, Muthler
PITCHING
- Clearfield: Welker-4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 SO, 1 BB; Brothers-3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 SO, 2 BB.
- Central: Sparks-4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 6 SO, 3 BB; Byler-1 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 SO, 2 BB; Mellott-2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 SO, 4 BB.
W-Welker (1-0), S-Brothers (1)
L-Byle
Clearfield Baseball Scoreboard
03/18: at Central 14 – 8, 1 – 0
03/20: BELLEFONTE
03/25: BISHOP GUILFOYLE
03/27: TYRONE
04/01: at Hollidaysburg
04/04: at Somerset
04/08: HUNTINGDON
04/11: FOREST HILLS
04/14: at Philipsburg-Osceola
04/16: BELLWOOD-ANTIS
04/22: at Penns Valley
04/24: DUBOIS
04/28: BALD EAGLE AREA
04/30: BRADFORD
05/02: BISHOP CARROLL
05/05: at Greater Johnstown
05/07: ST. MARYS
05/12: at Bellefonte
05/14: at Punxsutawney
