Chiefs Dealt 8-3 JCL Setback by Punxsy

HYDE – A five-run sixth inning made the difference as Punxsutawney handed the Clearfield American Legion Post 6 baseball team its second Jefferson County League loss, 8-3, at the Bison Sports Complex Thursday evening.

The second-place Chiefs now trail the Post 62 team by 2½ games with four to play, including a key rematch Friday night at Punxsy’s Rich Kuntz Memorial Field.

The Chiefs matched the visitors’ eight hits, and five went for extra bases, but a double play on Morgen Billotte’s soft liner to shortstop helped bail Logan Johnston out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fourth frame, when it was a 2-1 game.

Johnston went on to work six innings to earn the victory, giving up seven hits and the three runs while striking out three and walking one.

Chase Palmer mopped up in the seventh, allowing a double by Kyle Elensky and a walk.

Seth Bumbarger had cracked his first home run for the Chiefs in the second inning.

Their other runs came in the lower sixth on back-to-back doubles by Eli Glass and Bumbarger and a single by Cade Walker.

Allan Myers also doubled for the Chiefs, who slipped to 6-2 in the JCL and 8-3-1 overall.

For Punxsy, No. 10 batter Colton Adamson had hits off three of Clearfield’s four pitchers, drove in one run and scored three times.

Tanner LaBenne came through with a two-run double for the big hit in the sixth-inning outburst.

Walker was the starting and losing hurler for the Chiefs, surrendering two hits, five walks and two runs in 1-2/3 innings.

Glass allowed only one hit and one walk in his 1-1/3 innings, Hayden Williams gave up two hits and one run in one inning and Nate Barr pitched the final three innings, surrendering three hits, five walks and five runs, four earned.

PUNXSUTAWNEY — 8

Seth Dunkle ss 1100, Alec Greenblatt 2b 4100, Isaac Stouffer eh 1112, Tanner LaBenne 1b 112, Logan Johnston p-3b 3001, Addison Neal c 4011, Cole LaBenne lf 3010, Darin Byers cf 3110, Chase Palmer 3b-p 3000, Owen Smith pr 0000, Colton Adamson rf 3331.  TOTALS:  29  8  8  7.

CLEARFIELD — 3

Nate Barr ss-p 3000, Hayden Williams 3b-p-ss 4010, Eli Glass cf-p-cf-3b 3110, Seth Bumbarger 1b 2222 Allan Myers c 3010, Cade Walker p-cf-lf-cf 3011, Morgen Billotte lf-3b-rf 2010, Blake Prestash ph-rf 1000, Matt Bailor rf 2000, Nolan Barr lf 1000, Hunter Dixon eh 3000, Kyle Elensky 2b 3010.  TOTALS:  30  3  8  3.

Score by Innings

Punxsutawney  020 105 0 – 8  8  3

Clearfield         010 002 0 – 3  8  1

E – Greenblatt, Johnston, Neal; Elensky. DP – Punxsutawney 1 (Dunkle and Greenblatt). LOB – Punxsutawney 13; Clearfield 8. 2B – T. LaBenne, Adamson; Glass, Bumbarger, Myers, Elensky. HR – Bumbarger (1). SB – Dunkle, Byers.

Pitching

Punxsutawney – Johnston 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K; Palmer 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.

Clearfield – Walker 1-2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 K; Glass 1-1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Williams 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K; Na. Barr 3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 0 K.

HB – Walker 1 (Stouffer). WP – Johnston 1; Walker 2.

W – Johnston. L – Walker (2-1).

Umpires – Gary Kost (plate) and Hank Wilson (bases).