ALTOONA-As is typical with the beginning of the season, weather has been plaguing any team from consistently getting on the baseball field. Clearfield is no exception, as two of their first three games have been rescheduled to later in the season. Thursday afternoon, the Bison were originally planned to host the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders at the Bison ball field. However, the heavy rain the last couple weeks made the field still not ready for action. Both schools agreed to swap the schedule in order to get the game in, as the field in Altoona for the Marauders was ready.
Both teams managed to beat out the rain that was impending for later in the evening, and it was Clearfield that had a case of “same song, different verse.” After falling behind, the Bison stormed back in the final inning to capture a 6-4 triumph.
Both teams managed to get runs in the opening inning, with the Bison holding the advantage. Clearfield got to starting pitcher, Heston Murphy, right away, as Jayce Brothers led the game with a double into right field. Connor Peacock followed up with reaching on an error to put runners on first and second. O’Brian Owens then looked down a 1-2 offering and blasted the ball into deep right field. The swing put the ball all the way to the wall and cleared the bases as he would get a two-RBI triple to put Clearfield on the board. He would then score on a sacrifice fly by Rex Butler, as Clearfield took a quick 3-0 lead.
Bishop Guilfoyle got one run back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-double by Parker Knorr, but that would be the final run scored for multiple innings. The chess match between the pitchers continued, with Brothers and Murphy going one-on-one.
Both would go nearly the same distance on the hill, but it was the Marauders who got to Brothers in the fifth with a three-run inning. With the bases loaded, Griffin Chwatek was hit on a full-count offering, giving him an easy trip to first, and bringing Chase Imler across home to bring the Marauders within one run. The next at-bat saw Jake Marasco ground out, but it was enough to bring Dane Lechner across the plate to tie the game up.
Grant Walters crossed home two batters later on a wild pitch, and the Marauders were out front by one run.
Both pitchers would be taken out during the sixth inning, as Brothers would get replaced by Connor Peacock, while Chwatek took over for Murphy. Neither team got a run in the sixth, and it appeared that the final inning would have the Marauders close it out for their first win on the year.
A single by Peacock started the seventh, then a sacrifice bunt by Owens allowed him to reach base, and an error by Lechner then advanced both runners to second and third.
Butler then ground the first ball he saw up the gap to second, but Luke Gioiosa mishandled the grab, and it let Butler reach base, and Peacock reach home. The unearned run tied the game right back up and lit up the Bison dugout. Two batters later, Colton Bumbarger ground a ball back to Gioiosa, and it was a true case of deja vu. The second error by Gioiosa in the inning suddenly brought two runners across home, with Butler and Owens scoring to give Clearfield the lead. The inning would end after Bumbarger was caught stealing, then Hayden Rumsky struck out.
Peacock had an opportunity to earn the win, and he did a lot of the work. Both Walters and Chwatek ground out right back to him for the first two outs. Gioiosa, hoping to make up for the errors, then struck out swinging to end the game and hand Clearfield the win.
Weather depending, and if field conditions allow, the Bison (2-0) will host Bedford on Friday afternoon, with first pitch at 4:30 p.m.
SCORE BY INNING
Clearfield 300 000 3 – 6 4 1
Bishop Guilfoyle 100 030 0 – 4 3 4
Clearfield – 6
Jayce Brothers-p/2b 3110, Connor Peacock-2b/p 4220, O’Brian Owens-3b 2212, Rex Butler-dh 3102, Braison Patrick-ss 4000, Colton Bumbarger-c 3002, Hayden Rumsky-cf 2000, Noah Wriglesworth-lf 3000, Jake Bloom-1b 2000, Brody Ryen-ph 0000. TOTALS 26 6 4 6.
Bishop Guilfoyle – 4
Griffin Chwatek-cf/p 2101, Jake Marasco-ss 3011, Luke Gioiosa-ph/2b 1000, Rocco Cacciotti-3b 2000, Parker Knorr-lf 3011, Mikey Hofer-rf 3000, Lucas Farabaugh-2b 3000, Chase Imler-dh 2100, Dane Lechner-1b 3110, Grant Walters-c 2100. TOTALS 24 4 3 3.
2B: Brothers/Knorr
3B: Owens
HBP: Owens, Rumsky/Chwatek
SF: Butler
SB: Owens, Peacock
CS: Bumbarger
E: Owens/Knorr, Cacciotti, Gioiosa-2
Pitching
Clearfield: Brothers-5 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 SO, 3 BB; Peacock-2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 SO, 0 BB.
Bishop Guilfoyle: Murphy-5.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 7 SO, 3 BB; Chwatek-1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 SO, 1 BB.
W-Peacock (2-0)
L-Chwatek
Clearfield Bison Baseball Scoreboard
| DATE AND OPPONENT | SCORE | RECORD |
| 3/16 BISHOP GUILFOYLE | PPD. | 0-0 |
| 3/19 at Tyrone | 7-6 | 1-0 |
| 3/23 HOLLIDAYSBURG | PPD. | 1-0 |
| 3/26 at Bishop Guilfoyle | 6-4 | 2-0 |
| 3/27 BEDFORD | ||
| 3/30 at Huntingdon | ||
| 4/1 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ||
| 4/8 at Bellwood-Antis | ||
| 4/10 at Westmont Hilltop | ||
| 4/13 PENNS VALLEY | ||
| 4/14 HOLLIDAYSBURG | ||
| 4/16 at Bald Eagle Area | ||
| 4/20 PUNXSUTAWNEY | ||
| 4/24 CENTRAL CAMBRIA | ||
| 4/27 at Central | ||
| 4/29 at Richland | ||
| 4/30 at Bradford | ||
| 5/4 BELLEFONTE | ||
| 5/6 at St. Marys | ||
| 5/7 BISHOP GUILFOYLE | ||
| 5/11 TYRONE | ||
| 5/13 at Dubois |
