HYDE — Sophomore CJ Funk drove in six runs, three on a tie-breaking homer in the fourth inning, and Bellefonte converted seven of their 10 walks into runs to defeat Clearfield 9-3 in a Mountain League schoolboy baseball make-up at the Bison Sports Complex Wednesday afternoon.
Eli Glass homered, doubled and singled and Reese Wilson and Caullin Reed added two hits apiece as the Bison out-hit the Red Raiders 9-8, and they pulled off three double plays, but 10 walks and two hit batsmen led to their downfall.
“That’s like 12 extra hits,” Bison coach Sid Lansberry said. “Too many free passes. You can’t beat a team, this good, by doing that. They’re loaded. These kids, we’ve played them in Teener League coming up through.
“They’ll probably win the 4-A in District 6.”
Funk’s big blow after it appeared Bison starter Cade Walker might wiggle out of a first-and-third, no-out jam by turning Dylan Deitrich’s comebacker into a twinkilling with Daniel Catchmark breaking to the plate from third base.
However, Cade Fortney drew Walker’s seventh walk, and Funk promptly unloaded his seventh home run of the season deep over the left field fence to give Bellefonte (13-5, 10-3 ML) a 5-2 lead that was expanded in the last two innings.
Funk turned two free passes by Hunter Hipps into runs with a double to left center in the sixth, and Nick Capparelle and Deitrich singled home runs that were charged to Hunter Dixon in the seventh, when Hayden Williams came on to get the final out.
Hipps and Dixon were on a 25-pitch limit because the Bison have games Thursday and Friday, according to Lansberry.
Both teams scored in the first inning, Bellefonte on a walk, a wild pitch and a single by Funk and Clearfield (10-4, 7-4 ML) on singles by Wilson, Glass and Seth Bumbarger and a forceout by Ty Bender. Glass was out at the plate trying to score after the ball was thrown away at first base on the Red Raiders’ double play attempt.
The Bison gained a short-lived 2-1 advantage in the second inning when Williams walked, Reed singled through the middle and Wilson lined a hit into center.
Three walks and a hit batsman gave the visitors a run in the third to create the tie that Funk broke with the second of his three hits that pushed his batting average above .400.
Glass capped the scoring when he rocketed his homer over the right center barrier with two outs in the seventh off Bobby Marsh, the winner in relief of Adam Armstrong.
Marsh limited the Bison to only three other hits over the last five innings. He had one strikeout and one walk.
The Bison sent Armstrong to an early exit with five hits in the first two frames.
Shortstop Reed, who had a double for his first extra base hit, started or was in the middle of all three double plays that ended up in Bumbarger’s glove.
Clearfield will travel to play Philipsburg-Osceola Thursday and will return to Wingate Friday for the completion of a game that was suspended because of rain last Thursday with the Bison leading Bald Eagle Area 5-4 with one runner on base and no outs in the top of the fifth inning. The first pitch is set for 3 p.m.
BELLEFONTE — 9
Dylan Deitrich ss 3211, Cade Fortney cf 2310, CJ Funk rf 4136, Austin Stock rf 0000, Adam Armstrong p 0000, Mason Grey 3b 0000, Eric Peggs dh 3000, Colton Burd c 3001, Bobby Marsh 1b-p 1100, CJ Lauck 3b-1b 4000, Daniel Catchmark lf 3100, Ryan Bossert lf 0000, Nick Capparelle 2b 4131. TOTALS: 27 9 8 9.
CLEARFIELD — 3
Reese Wilson cf 4121, Cade Walker p-lf 0000, Hunter Hipps p 0000, Hunter Dixon p 0000, Nate Barr dh 4000, Eli Glass lf-2b 4131, Seth Bumbarger 1b 4010, Ty Bender rf 2011, Harrison Peacock 3b 3000, Allan Myers c 2000, Jake Sorbera ph 1000, Hayden Williams 2b-p 1000, Alec Graham ph 1000, Caullin Reed ss 3020. TOTALS: 29 3 9 3.
Score by Innings
Bellefonte 101 302 2 – 9 8 0
Clearfield 110 000 0 – 3 9 2
E – Peacock, Myers. DP – Bellefonte 1 (Deitrich, Capparelle, Marsh and Burd); Clearfield 3 (Reed, Williams and Bumbarger; Walker, Reed and Bumbarger; Reed and Bumbarger). LOB – Bellefonte 9; Clearfield 7. 2B – Deitrich, Funk; Glass, Reed. HR – Funk; Glass (2). SB – Deitrich, Fortney, Funk.
Pitching
Bellefonte – Armstrong 2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Marsh 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.
Clearfield – Walker 4 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 4 K; Hipps 1-1/3 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K; Hunter Dixon 1-1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Williams 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
HB – Walker 1 (Burd); Hipps 1 (Marsh). WP – Walker 2.
W – Marsh. L – Walker (1-1).
Umpires – Joe Shick (plate) and Rob Morgan (bases).
Bison Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
3/27 @ Central ppd. 0 – 0
3/28 @ Central ppd. 0 – 0
3/31 @ Huntingdon 1 – 5 0 – 1
4/03 BELLEFONTE ppd. 0 – 1
4/05 @ Tyrone ppd. 0 – 1
4/06 BELLEFONTE ppd. 0 – 1
4/09 @ Central ppd. 0 – 1
4/10 BALD EAGLE AREA 4 – 2 1 – 1
4/11 @ Punxsutawney susp. 1 – 1
4/13 @ Penns Valley 3 – 0 2 – 1
4/14 @ Tyrone 8 – 7 3 – 1
4/16 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA ppd. 3 – 1
4/19 CENTRAL ppd. 3 – 1
4/20 BRADFORD 10 – 3 4 – 1
4/21 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA 5 – 0 5 – 1
4/23 @ Curwensville 7 – 2 6 – 1
4/24 HUNTINGDON ppd. 6 – 1
4/27 @ Bellefonte 8 – 9 6 – 2
4/28 @ Central 3 – 4 6 – 3
4/30 TYRONE 16 – 1 7 – 3
5/01 @ Brookville 14 – 4 8 – 3
5/02 HUNTINGDON 3 – 2 9 – 3
5/03 @ Bald Eagle Area susp. 9 – 3
5/07 CENTRAL ppd. 9 – 3
5/08 PENNS VALLEY 2 – 1 10 – 3
5/09 BELLEFONTE 3 – 9 10 – 4
5/11 @ Philipsburg-Osceola
5/12 @ BEA (susp. 5/03)
5/14 DUBOIS
5/15 CURWENSVILLE
5/18 @ Punxsutawney (susp. 4/11)
