CLEARFIELD — A walk-off single by Eli Glass capped an improbable comeback from a seven-run deficit by the Clearfield American Legion baseball team Sunday evening that prevented Brookville from opening a commanding lead in the Jefferson County League race with one week remaining.
The Chiefs rallied for three runs in the sixth inning and five in the seventh to hand the combination of players from Brookville and Punxsutawney their first loss in six games, 10-9, at the Lawrence Township Recreation Park.
The win was the third in a row for the second-place Chiefs, now just a half-game back at 5-2.
Glass’ clutch, two-out liner to right center chased home Brandon Orsich, who had tied the game with his second two-RBI hit in as many innings, moved up on a throw to the plate and advanced to third base on a Brookville misplay off Alec Graham’s grounder.
The make-up game’s first error set the last-inning comeback in motion as Seth Bumbarger and Allan Myers matched sharp singles inside third base to push around one run before Will Myers worked a nine-pitch walk that ended Brady Caylor’s 1-1/3-inning relief stint.
Jake Sorbera greeted Lucas Burkett with a long drive to right center that Brookville right fielder Ben Caun turned into just a sacrifice fly with a spectacular backhanded catch.
Orsich then came through with his key blow up the right center alley, and the second Brookville miscue gave Glass the opportunity to become the hero with his second hit.
All of the other Clearfield runs resulted from two-out hits.
Allan Myers delivered a two-run single that scored Reese Wilson and Ty Bender in the first inning and ignited the sixth-inning rally with a double to left center. Will Myers cracked a single to left and, after Sorbera reached base on a strike three wild pitch that allowed courtesy runner Harrison Peacock to score, Orsich launched a double to left center for two RBIs.
Bryce Timko picked up the victory in relief of Sorbera, allowing three hits and one run in three innings while striking out four and walking two.
The visitors got to Sorbera for 10 hits and eight runs in the middle three innings.
Manager Sid Lansberry summoned Timko in the fifth with the bases loaded, no outs and Brookville ahead 5-2 after four consecutive hits, including a two-run double by Caun.
Tyler Park singled and Burkett bounced into a forceout for RBIs and Lance Pennington drilled a double to right field for two more runs before Timko could quell the uprising.
The left-hander struck out the side in the sixth and induced three fly ball outs in the seventh after the leadoff batters got aboard.
Pennington, who drove in three runs, and Burkett had three hits apiece while Park and Tanner LaBenne added pairs of singles for Brookville, which got five innings from starter Logan Johnston, who surrendered two runs and five hits, fanned five and walked two.
Clearfield goes on the road the for a rematch with Brookville at Rich Kuntz Memorial Field at Punxsutawney Monday and back-to-back games against DuBois at Showers Field Tuesday and Wednesday.
BROOKVILLE — 9
Tyler Park lf-2b 3221, Lucas Burkett ss-p 5132, Lance Pennington cf 5033, Joey Dipietro c 4000, Dylan Ishman c 1000, Aaron Park 3b 3110, Logan Johnston p 3110, Trenton Gilhousen lf 0000, Tanner LaBenne 1b 2120, Ben Caun rf 4112, Brady Caylor 3b-p-ss 3200. TOTALS: 33 9 13 8.
CLEARFIELD — 10
Reese Wilson cf 4110, Ty Bender lf-rf 4110, Bryce Timko rf-p 4100, Seth Bumbarger 1b-eh 4110, Allan Myers c 3233, Will Myers ss 3210, Jake Sorbera p-lf 2101, Brandon Orsich eh-1b 4124, Justin Fedder 2b 1010, Alec Graham ph-2b 3010, Harrison Peacock 3b 0000, Eli Glass ph-3b 2021. TOTALS: 34 10 13 9.
Runs by Innings
Brookville 001 260 0 – 9 13 2
Clearfield 200 003 5 – 10 13 0
E – T. Park, Gilhousen. DP – Clearfield 1 (Peacock and Bumbarger). LOB – Brookville 11; Clearfield 10. 2B – Pennington, A. Park, Caun; A. Myers, Orsich. SF – Sorbera. SB – Burkett; Graham. PO – Fedder (by Dipietro).
Pitching
Brookville – Johnston 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; Caylor 1-1/3 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K; Burkett 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
Clearfield – Sorbera 4+ IP (faced 5 batters in 5th), 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 4 BB, 2 K; Timko 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.
HB – Johnston 1 (Sorbera); Sorbera 2 (T. Park, LaBenne). WP – Caylor 1; Sorbera 1.
W – Timko (1-1). L – Burkett.
Umpires – Mark Michelucci (plate) and Bill Pringle (bases).