MILL HALL – Behind the sterling pitching of sophomore Michael Moyer, the Clearfield Area High School baseball team downed host Central Mountain 5-1 in a Central Penn League makeup game at the Mill Hall Community Park Thursday.
Moyer turned in his second strong performance of the season, going the distance and limiting the Wildcats to four hits and three walks while striking out five.
The righthander\’s first varsity win was a five-inning, one-hit shutout (14-0) against Huntingdon on April 20.
\”Moyer pitched a heck of a game,\” Clearfield coach Sid Lansberry said. \”He had a nice curveball, and he had good control. We played some good defense, too.\”
A pair of two-out walks in the fourth inning cost Moyer another shutout, for Anthony Houser followed with a run-scoring single.
The Bisons had all their runs in the hopper by then, though.
They staked Moyer to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Hits by Adam Jury and Kyle Kline put runners on the corners for Brandon Evans, whose groundout was good for an RBI. Kline advanced to third on a wild pitch as Doug Kephart drew a free pass. Lansberry then signaled for a forced balk, and the play worked when Houser made an illegal move as Kephart broke early for second base.
An error on Kephart\’s grounder opened the door for the Bisons in the fourth, and they posted three unearned runs against tough-luck loser Houser, who gave up only three hits.
After Tanner St. Clair was hit by a pitch, Jarrin Campman sacrificed. Soph first baseman Corey Bookhamer got his first varsity RBI when Kephart beat the throw home on his grounder to first. Bookhamer moved to second on a passed ball, and Jury bounced a single up the middle to drive in Clearfield\’s last two runs.
\”That was the key hit of the game, in my opinion,\” Lansberry said. \”That made a big difference.\”
The Bisons upped their record to 8-10, including 4-8 in the CPL, while the Wildcats finished 5-8 in the league and 8-11 overall.
\”Any win you get in the CPL is a good win,\” Lansberry said. \”Central Mountain\’s record is kind of deceiving, because they play all the big schools twice. Their schedule is tough. They beat Indian Valley twice. And they beat Williamsport.\”
Clearfield travels to State College today for its league finale, and it\’s a big game for the 9-3 Little Lions. They can win the CPL championship outright with a victory. A loss means they will share the crown with Bald Eagle Area and Bellefonte, both 9-4.
On Saturday, the Bisons will host St. Marys at noon in a makeup that will be their last tuneup before the District 9 Class AAA title game against Punxsutawney on May 30.
Clearfield\’s junior varsity lost 6-3.
CLEARFIELD — 5
Adam Jury ss 2122, James Zimmerman 2b 4000, Kyle Kline 3b 4110, Brandon Evans c 2001, Doug Kephart cf 2100, Tanner St. Clair lf 2100, Michael Moyer p 0000, Jarrin Campman dh 1000, Corey Bookhamer 1b 3101, David Ryan rf 3000. TOTALS: 23 5 3 4.
CENTRAL MOUNTAIN — 1
Mike Heggenstalller 3b 3000, Curt Harpster ss 0000, James Gallagher dh 3010, Scott Zuback cf 3000, Nevin Brooks 1b 0000, Cody Dolan 1b 2000, Josh Germello lf 2120, Kyle Meyer c 2000, Anthony Houser p 3011, Eric Hendricks rf 2000, Ryan Watkins 2b 2000, Shane Hevner ph 1010. TOTALS: 23 1 4 1.
Score by Innings:
Clearfield 200 300 0 – 5 3 0
Central Mountain 000 100 0 – 1 4 2
Errors – Harpster 2. PB – Meyer. DP – Clearfield 1 (Jury and Bookhamer); Central Mountain 1 (Watkins and Heggenstaller). LOB – Clearfield 5; Central Mountain 5. 2B – Gallagher. Sac – Campman.
Pitching
Clearfield – Moyer 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K.
Central Mountain- Houser 7 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K.
HB – Moyer 1 (Brooks); Houser 1 (St. Clair). WP – Houser 2. Balk – Houser.
W – Moyer (2-4). L – Houser (3-5).
