HYDE – Playing five games in as many days caught up with the Clearfield Bisons Friday as Altoona pounded 17 hits, including grand slam home runs by Josh Adams and Andy Smithmyer, for a 14-3 Mercy Rule win in scholastic baseball action at the Bison Sports Complex.
Tanner St. Clair\’s fourth home run of the season gave the Bisons led 2-1 after one inning, but their only other run was a solo homer by Parker Herrington in the third.
Winner Christian Helsel held Clearfield to four hits over four innings, and Smithmyer tuned up for next week\’s District 6 Class AAAA Playoffs with a scoreless fifth after the Mountain Lions (8-9) got the two grand slams in the top of the inning.
Adams and Smithmyer each had two hits, and they combined to drive in 11 runs.
Four other Mountain Lions had multi-hit games, K.J. Walters and Mason Hershey with three apiece and Jordan Sneed and Will Snyder with two singles apiece.
Starter and loser Aaron Sayers was followed by three relievers as Clearfield coach Sid Lansberry was forced to go deep into his overworked pitching staff.
\”You can\’t play five days in a row without running out of pitching,\” Lansberry said. \”The guys gave us their best effort, but they all pitched earlier in the week.
\”Other than a couple misjudged fly balls, we didn\’t play that badly. They just hit the ball.\”
A trio of doubleplays kept the Bisons in the non-league game until the fifth, when Kyle Timchak and Justin Hoffman surrendered the two long balls. Jason Bowman came on to get the final two outs.
Clearfield didn\’t completely recover from Thursday\’s heart-breaking extra-inning loss to St. Marys that cost the Bisons the outright District 9 Northern Allegany League Big School Division championship.
\”(Thursday) night definitely took its toll, mentally,\” Lansberry said. \”It did on me. And I\’m sure it did on them.\”
Clearfield, D9NAL co-champion with DuBois and Punxsutawney, finishes the regular season 10-8.
A rainout against Hollidaysburg has turning into a cancellation because of the upcoming district playoffs, according to Lansberry.
\”We got 18 games in,\” he said. \”Two weeks ago, I didn\’t think we\’d even get 15 games in.
\”This week turned around weather-wise. In a way, its good. But, in another way, you can\’t play five days in a row.\”
The second-seeded Bisons will be back in action Wednesday with a District 9 Class AAA home semifinal game against St. Marys.
The winner will take on No. 1 seed Punxsutawney for the championship, the date and site to be announced later.
ALTOONA — 14
Christian Helsel p-ss 4210, Keith Kawtoski lf 2210, Trevor Bush ph-lf 1000, Josh Adams 2b 4126, Jordan Sneed 1b 3220, Tyler Sweeney 1b 0000, J.R. Gearhart cf 0000, Craig McCloskey cf 0000, K.J. Walters dh 4331, Matt McDonald rf 3111, Andy Smithmyer ss-p 4125, Mason Hershey c 3130, Will Walter ph-c 0000, Will Snyder 2121, John Snyder ph 0000. TOTALS: 30 14 17 14.
CLEARFIELD — 3
Jarrin Campman 2b 2110, Luke Peterson ph 1000, Parker Herrington ss 2111, Trevor Flanagan ph 1000, Tanner St. Clair cf-lf 2112, Andrew Redden ph 0000, Corey Bookhamer 1b 2000, Wil Beauseigneur ph 0000, Justin Hoffman rf-p 2000, Jason Bowman p 1000, Aaron Sayers p-cf 2000, Derek Danver 3b 2010, Chad Zurat lf 0000, Kyle Timchak dh-p-rf 2000, Matt Lonjin c 2000. TOTALS: 21 3 4 3.
Score by Innings
Altoona 112 28 – 14 17 3
Clearfield 201 00 – 3 4 2
Errors – Helsel, Smithmyer 2; Herrington, St. Clair. PB – Lonjin 1. DP – Clearfield 3 (Herrington and Bookhamer; Danver, Campman and Bookhamer; Danver, Bookhamer and Danver). LOB – Altoona 9; Clearfield 9. 2B – Adams, Walters. HR – Adams, Smithmyer; St. Clair (4), Herrington (2). SB – Campman.
Pitching
Altoona – Helsel 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K; Smithmyer 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.
Clearfield – Sayers 3+ IP (faced 2 batters in 4th), 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K; Timchak 1-1/3 IP 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 1 K; Hoffman 0+ IP (faced 2 batters in 5th), 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K; Bowman 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K.
HB – Sayers 1 (W. Snyder). WP – Helsel 1; Sayers 2, Timchak 1, Bowman 1.
W – Helsel (1-2). L – Sayers (0-2).
Umpires – Dale Shaw (plate); Scott Viehdorfer (bases).
