Clfd SB: Lady Bisons End Long Layoff with 11-1 Victory

HYDE -- The original schedule for the Clearfield Area High School softball team showed Friday's game with Ridgway as the ninth of the season, but the Lady Bisons had been doing nothing except practicing for so long it almost seemed like a second opener.

The Lady Bisons, who last played on April 2, showed the effects of their lengthy layoff in the early going at the Bison Sports Complex before settling down to defeat the Lady Elkers 11-1 in four and a half innings behind the three-hit pitching of senior Toni Brubaker.

"We gave them Wednesday off because we've practiced, practiced, practiced, and they came back Thursday and looked a lot better," Clearfield coach Bob Dixon said after his team's second win in three games. "And they were anxious to play."
A little too anxious, perhaps.

The Lady Bisons were guilty of four throwing errors and a baserunning mistake in the first three innings and didn't really start hitting the ball hard until the third time around.

"We started out kind of rusty," Dixon said.

An error on Brittany Biondi's infield single set up Ridgway's run in the first frame. Biondi never stopped when the throw on Kendall Klawahn's looping single to right went to first base, and she easily slid into home plate safely.

Ridgway (0-4) had an opportunity to increase the margin in the third when Clearfield's final miscue left runners at second and third with only one out.

However, Brubaker notched one of her eight strikeouts and got Bekka Leitzell on a slow roller to first base. Then, the Lady Bison righthander followed up by retiring the Lady Elkers in order the next two innings, including three strikeouts in the fourth.

"Toni threw a real nice ball game," Dixon said. "She did a real good job. Her curve ball was working. Her drop was working. She had good command of her pitches."

An error and Biondi's wildness enabled Clearfield to score six runs in the third inning. Courtney Morgan's grounder was booted, Nikki Collins walked and Alanna Luzier was hit, and they crossed the plate on two wild pitches and an illegal pitch. Brittany Pataky walked and eventually scored on Mandy Rowles' groundout. After Julie Colesar beat out a grounder to short for the only hit in the inning, two more walks loaded the bases. Another wild pitch and Megan Butler's grounder made it 6-1.

The Lady Bisons added five runs against reliever Emily Mitchell in the fourth. Collins lined a double, her second hit, down the left field line, Pataky walked with one out and Rowles belted a double to deep left for two runs. One out later, Ashley Lias singled to center for an RBI. Ridgway's fourth and fifth errors gave the Lady Bisons two more runs.

Lack of patience at the plate played a role in Clearfield's lack of offense at the start.

"I think we were trying to crank 'em out over the fence," Dixon said. "We were a little but too anxious, but we came around. We started to hit the ball a little bit."

Overconfidence might have a factor, too.

"I think we did take a little bit for granted, but we talked in the dugout," Dixon explained. "We've got to take every opponent seriously. I told them, 'I don't want to end up 1-0 like we did against Brookville.'"

The Lady Bisons carried the disappointment of that loss - which came after a big season-opening victory over 2005 state runner-up Punxsutawney - into their practices during the last 17 days.

If Mother Nature cooperates, the Lady Bisons won't have time for many more practices because of six postponements which to be worked into the schedule. They face 17 games in the next month, including today's big showdown with undefeated Curwensville at 11 o'clock on the Lady Tide diamond.

RIDGWAY --- 1
Emily Mitchell cf-p 3010, Brittany Biondi p-cf 3110, Kendall Klawahn ss 2011, Santana Woodring lf 2000, Bekka Leitzell c 2000, Tiffany Krise 2b 1000, Megan Rutigliano rf 2000, Miki Quattrone 1b 2000, Shelby Woodring 3b 2000. TOTALS: 19 1 3 1.

CLEARFIELD --- 11
Nikki Collins ss 2220, Alanna Luzier 2b 2100, Brittany Pataky 1b 1200, Mandy Rowles dp 3113, Julie Colesar lf 3110, Ashley Lias cf 2211, Kenzie McGovern c 1100, Megan Butler 3b 3001, Courtney Morgan rf 3100, Toni Brubaker (flex) p 0000. TOTALS: 20 11 5 5.

Score by Innings:
Ridgway 100 00 -- 1 3 5
Clearfield 006 5x -- 11 5 4
Errors: Mitchell, Biondi, Klawahn, Shelby Woodring 2; Luzier, Pataky, McGovern, Butler. PB - Leitzell. LOB - Ridgway 4; Clearfield 4. 2B - Collins. SB - Butler.

Pitching
Ridgway - Biondi 3 IP, 2 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 1 HB, 1 K; Mitchell 1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.
Clearfield - Brubaker 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K.
HB - Biondi 1 (Luzier). WP - Biondi 4, Mitchell 2. IP - Biondi 2.
W - Brubaker (1-0). L- Biondi (0-1).

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