Punxsutawney and Clearfield Redefine Slugfest as Chucks’ Baseball Team Wins, 27-16; Keystone Softball Tops Redbank Valley

CLEARFIELD, Pa. (EYT/D9) – It looked more like a football score.

But, no, Punxsutawney and Clearfield played a baseball game Monday afternoon – a very wild baseball game.

The Chucks scored nine runs in one inning and eight in another and blasted three home runs on the way to a 27-16 win over the Bison Monday afternoon.

Seven Punxsutawney players had at least three RBIs in the game. Five had at least three hits and Punxsutawney had 26 as a team.

Zach Dinger went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a homer and four RBI. No. 9 hitter Zeke Bennett also homered, doubled, stole two bases and drove in three. Carter Savage also went deep, doubled, and went 4-for-4 with three RBIs.

Alex Phillips and Jason Sikora each knocked in four, Josh Tyger three and Ashton Stonebreaker also collected three RBIs in the offensive onslaught.

It was not a good day to be a pitcher.

Tyger got the start, but lasted only three innings for the Chucks, surrendering six runs on nine hits. Justin Miller worked the next three innings, giving up 10 runs – four earned – and got the win.

Coy Martino tossed a hitless seventh for the Chucks.

Clearfield had 17 hits in the loss.

Blake Prestash had a monster day for the Bison, going 3-for-4 with a homer, double and six RBIs. Kyle Elensky also hit a home run in his 3-for-4 day and Morgen Billotte went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.

Clearfield (8-11) led 5-1 after two innings, but Punxsutawney scored four in the top of the third and three more in the top of the fourth to take an 8-5 lead.

Both teams were just getting started.

The Bison put up five runs in the bottom of the third to regain the lead, 10-8.

Punxsutawney (12-5) answered with nine runs in the top of the fifth on eight hits for a 17-10 lead.

With the Chucks up 19-10 after a two-run top of the sixth, Clearfield cut the lead to 19-16 with six runs in the bottom of the frame.

Punxsy put things finally out of reach with an eight-run seventh.

Clearfield used six pitchers with Hunter Rumsky picking up the loss.

SOFTBALL

Emma Gruber went 3-for-3 with a double and a triple and Natalie Bowser and Leah Exley combined for a three-hitter in the circle as Keystone downed Redbank Valley, 4-1.

Bowser got the win with a strong outing. She have up just one run on one hit in four innings. Exley worked the final three innings for the save. She gave up no runs on two hits.

Sydney Bell also tripled and Exley scored two runs for Keystone.

Redbank Valley led 1-0 on a RBI groundout by Taylor Ripple.

That 1-0 lead for the Bulldogs held until Keystone tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second and took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly by Bowser and a single by Bella Black.

Mackenzie Foringer got the loss, striking out five in 5 2/3 innings.