Janocko Three-Hits Raiders, Bison Walk Off With 2-1 Win

HYDE — Junior Jon Janocko pitched a sparkling three-hitter for his first varsity win as the Clearfield Area High School baseball team squeezed past Bellefonte 2-1 in rare walk-off fashion Tuesday at the Bison Sports Complex.

Spencer Herrington, aboard via his third groundball hit of the overcast day, trotted to the plate with the deciding run in the bottom of the seventh inning when Red Raider reliever Dan Roan plunked Cole Kephart with the bases loaded and one out.

That meant Janocko didn’t have to go back out to the mound after keeping the Red Raiders in check for the Bison’s first seven-inning complete game of the season.

“Jon pitched a heck of a game,” Clearfield coach Sid Lansberry. “He changed speeds, moved the ball in and out and had pretty good control. He got out of some key situations by getting guys to pop the ball up. He had them out on their front foot a lot.

“That was his second good outing in a row.”

The big right-hander walked four and struck out two, relying on a defense that made all but one of the routine plays and every tough one.

Two highlight plays were made in foul territory, third baseman Kephart’s back-to-the-diamond, sliding catch of Roan’s slicing, high fly down the left field line in the fifth inning and left fielder Curtis Collins’ grab of Tanner Day’s high fly after a long run to the out-of-play line.

The Mountain League game was a duel between Janocko and Red Raider ace Taylor Smith all the way around, both stingy on the mound and both driving in runs with sacrifice flies in the third inning.

No. 9 batter Brandon Shuey, who was walked four times in Bellefonte’s 15-6 home-field win April 5, made it five free passes in a row from Bison pitchers to lead off the top of the third, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout to set up Smith’s RBI drive to deep right.

Then, Herrington reached on an error, dashed to third on Thomas Summers’ single to right center and hustled home with the equalizer on Janocko’s fly to medium center.

Both starters had to negotiate one more threat.

Bellefonte (5-4, 5-3 ML) got two runners on base via a walk and Clearfield’s lone error with two outs in the fourth, but Shuey’s liner was right at shortstop Wyatt Westen.

Clearfield (3-9, 3-6 ML) loaded the bases with one out in the fifth on Herrington’s single through the middle, Collins’ liner to left and a walk to Janocko, but Smith wiggled off the hook with a strikeout and a groundout.

Those were three of the 11 runners the Bison stranded.

“That’s been killing us all year,” Lansberry said. “It almost did today, too.

“I think we hit the ball pretty hard, but a lot of times right at people. We made pretty good contact throughout the game against Smith, who’s a pretty good pitcher, actually. He pitched a nice game, too.”

Smith, who accounted for four of the Red Raiders’ six wins last spring, was pulled after Herrington led off the bottom of the seventh with a swinging bunt toward third base.

Collins greeted Roan with a sharp single through the box and both runners moved up on a groundout by Summers.

Janocko was intentionally walked, but that strategy backfired for Bellefonte when Roan hit Kephart with the next pitch, giving the Bison their first win in five games decided by one or two runs.

“We’ve lost a lot of close ones,” Lansberry said. “This is a good one to get. Bellefonte’s a pretty good team. And they beat us 15-6 the last time.

“I think it shows we’re improving.”

All seven Bison hits came at the top of the lineup, Herrington with three and Collins and Summers with two apiece.

Clearfield’s next game will be against Tyrone at the BSC Friday.

BELLEFONTE — 1

Tanner Day ss 4000, Taylor Smith p-2b 3001, Dan Roan 1b-p 3010, Ryan McCloskey c 0000, Taylor Butts dh-1b 1000, Andrew Stover rf-c 3000, Jordan Fye 2b 3010, Phil Fenstermacker rf 0000, Seth Weaver lf 2000, Tanner Light 3b 2000, Ethan White 3b 1000, Brandon Shuey cf 2110.  TOTALS: 34  1  3  1.

CLEARFIELD — 2

Spencer Herrington 2b 4230, Curtis Collins lf 4020, Thomas Summers 1b 3020, Jon Janocko p 1001, Cole Kephart 3b 2001, Sawyer Rowles cf 0000, Erik Sellers dh 3000, Wyatt Westen ss 3000, Josh Kennedy rf 3000, Jonas  Kochan c 3000.  TOTALS: 26  2  7  2.

Score by Innings

Bellefonte   001 000 0 – 1  3  2
Clearfield    001 000 1 – 2  7  1
Errors – Westen. LOB – Bellefonte 7; Clearfield 11. 2B – Fye. Sac – Summers. SF – Smith; Janocko. SB – Shuey.

Pitching

Bellefonte – Smith 6+ IP (faced 1 batter in 7th), 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; Roan 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.
Clearfield – Janocko 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K.
HB – Roan 1 (Kephart). WP – Smith 1.
W – Janocko (1-2). L – Smith.
Umpires – Tim Rupp (plate) and Bill Pringle (bases).

Bison Scoreboard: