HYDE-Having to look back on a five-inning loss the night prior, where defense was struggling and runs were given up, was a hard enough task. For the Clearfield Bison, the shift to get into the new mindset of a new game had to occur quickly, as the squad was back on the field Friday afternoon. While dodging a couple passing raindrops, the Bison welcomed in Central Cambria for a battle against the Red Devils.
Unlike the afternoon before, both teams kept it close. This came down to who could make the plays when needed, and the Bison defense made them late, while the pitching remained stout. In the end, that is what gave Clearfield the very tight 3-2 victory.
“When you have that close of a score, it is a very competitive high school game,” Bison head coach Sid Lansberry said afterwards. “We had a few errors on defense, but compared to what we had a night ago, it’s a much-needed turnaround.”
Clearfield’s afternoon got off to a much different start when Jayce Brothers, who got the nod as the starting pitcher, started the first inning with a lead-off triple to right field. O’Brian Owens then ground out to first, but it was enough for the Bison to take the lead, and hold that lead for the next three innings.
Brothers faced a few tough spots between the second and fourth innings, including a pair of spots with runners either on first and second, or the corners. He would manage to get out of both situations, and kept his pitch count low.
The first run given up by Clearfield came in the fifth when Braison Patrick mishandled a direct shot by Ben Muldoon, which was enough let Jack Dawson cross home to tie the game at one-run all.
Clearfield needed an answer, and got one in a big way at the bottom of the fifth.
Owens would single on a liner to center. Brothers would work his way around to third after getting a jump on the hit. In his pursuit to third, Jake Fisher launched a ball to third in hopes of the tag, but he overshot the throw and it went out of play. Umpires called the runners to make their way around, which let Brothers cross the plate, and Owens moved his way to third.
“They (Central Cambria) made a couple mistakes on that run. They were too deep in fielding the ball in the outfield and were out of position in trying to field at third,” Lansberry said. “If the third basemen was in a bit better spot, that run might not have scored. That made the difference in the game; it just took way all their momentum.”
An RBI-single by Colton Bumbarger gave just enough cushion after five innings. Brothers then had to work a pair of innings to make the afternoon one to be proud of. Despite giving up an RBI-single in the sixth, he still managed a superb outing on the hill. He went the complete game, still managing to stay under 100 pitches to make him eligible to pitch at some point next week, struck out seven, and walked only one to get his second win on the season.
He had a bit of help to finish the afternoon, as he saw a groundout to third by Dawson, then he struck out Muldoon looking. The afternoon came to a close when Jake Fisher ground a 1-0 offering to short, and Clearfield celebrated the win in front of the home crowd.
“We’ve been inconsistent this year, but when we play well, it makes for a good game, and we need games like this,” Lansberry said. “Central Cambria is a well-coached team, so this is a big win for us late in the year.”
Only eight games remain for the Bison (6-6), and three of them happen next week, all of which will be on the road. Clearfield will start the road trip on Monday when they travel to Martinsburg to face the Central Dragons.
SCORE BY INNING
Central Cambria 000 011 0 – 2 4 1
Clearfield 100 020 X – 3 5 3
Central Cambria – 2
Derek McConnell-lf 3100, Rex Howard-rf 3000, JD Brouse-p/1b 2011, Jet Williams-cr 0000, Jake Kirsch-c 3010, Rocco Barra-ss 2000, David Hildebrand-dh 3010, Jack Dawson-1b/p 3110, Ben Muldoon-3b 3000, Jake Fisher-cf 3000. TOTALS 25 2 4 1.
Clearfield – 3
Jayce Brothers-p 3210, O’Brian Owens-c 3111, Rex Butler-lf 3000, Colton Bumbarger-3b 3021, Connor Peacock-2b 1000, Braison Patrick-ss 3000, Hayden Rumsky-cf 2010, Landon Brady-rf 2000, Jake bloom-1b 2000, Brody Ryen-ph 1000. TOTALS 23 3 5 2.
3B: Brothers
HBP: Brouse/Rumsky
SB: Williams
CS: Muldoon
PIK: Hildebrand
E: Fisher/Brady, Patrick-2
Pitching
Central Cambria: Brouse-5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 SO, 4 BB; Dawson-1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 SO, 0 BB.
Clearfield: Brothers-7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 7 SO, 1 BB.
W-Brothers (2-2)
L-Brouse
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 | PPD. | 2-0 |
| 3/30 at Huntingdon | 0-15 | 2-1 |
| 4/1 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | PPD. | 2-1 |
| 4/8 at Bellwood-Antis | 4-6 | 2-2 |
| 4/10 at Westmont Hilltop | 16-10 | 3-2 |
| 4/13 PENNS VALLEY | 2-1 | 4-2 |
| 4/14 HOLLIDAYSBURG | 3-9 | 4-3 |
| 4/16 at Bald Eagle Area | 6-7 | 4-4 |
| 4/17 BEDFORD (4 p.m.) | 5-4 | 5-4 |
| 4/20 PUNXSUTAWNEY | PPD. | 5-4 |
| 4/21 PUNXSUTAWNEY | 2-10 | 5-5 |
| 4/23 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | 0-10 | 5-6 |
| 4/24 CENTRAL CAMBRIA | 3-2 | 6-6 |
| 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 |
