HYDE — The Clearfield Chiefs parlayed solid pitching and timely hitting into three victories and the championsip of the Clearfield Legion Independence Day Baseball Tournament Saturday and Sunday at the Clearfield Area High School Sports Complex.
Manager Sid Lansberry\’s team nudged St. Marys 6-4 on the first day and then blanked the Clearfield Babe Ruth League 15-Year-Old All-Stars 6-0 behind Andrew Janocko\’s one-hitter and nipped the Bradford Legion 2-1 in eight innings Sunday.
Brandon Evans worked two hitless innings in relief to notch the win against St. Marys. Starter Drew Hipps surrendered only two hits, but the losers tied the scored with four unearned runs in the fifth inning.
Adam Jury paced the Chiefs with three singles and one run batted in. Jim Zimmerman singled and doubled, Evans singled twice and Max Condon belted a solo home run. Shane Davis had the other hit and joined Evans and Janocko in the RBI column.
Janocko racked up 11 strikeouts against the Babe Ruth League Stars, losing the no-no in the sixth inning when Michael Kritzer beat out a grounder to deep short with one out.
Evans\’ two-run homer was the key hit in the fifth when the Chiefs scored four times for a 5-0 cushion. Condon and Janocko had doubles, while David Ryan and Chris Barr single. Barr, Jury and Alex Billotte had the RBIs.
Loser Matt Shiner struck out six and surrendered only four hits.
Condon had Bradford shut out until mound foe Justin Jones homered leading off the sixth. He fanned four and walked two. Trey Wallace whiffed five in two hitless innings. Janocko worked the eighth and got the win when Jury reached base on an error, moved to third on a single by Evans and scored on a wild pitch.
Jury, Billotte and Beau Ryan had the only other hits for the Chiefs, who went up 1-0 in the first when Davis was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Clearfield will take a 14-5 record to Brookville for an important Jefferson County League game Monday.
Though winless, the Clearfield Babe Ruth League Stars were competitive, falling 7-6 to Bradford and 5-4 to St. Marys. Billotte had two singles while Aaron Sayers, Parker Herrington, Derek Danver, Kasey Casher and Doug Woolridge had hits against Bradford. Billotte, Sayers, Herrington and losing hurler Michael Moyer drove in runs.
They outhit St. Marys 10-8, led by Corey Bookhamer\’s two singles and two RBIs and Moyer\’s two-run double. Danver had two hits, one a double. Justin Hoffman, Shiner, Herrington, Kritzer and Woolridge each had one hit.
St. Marys whitewashed Bradford 13-0 Saturday and finished second at 2-1. Bradford was 1-2.