The Lady Bisons were stifled their first time through the lineup by Lady Owl pitcher Jessie Mascho, getting just one hit and trailing 2-0 before breaking through with a run on two hits in the bottom of the third.

The Clearfield bats really heated up after that, clubbing nine more hits over the final three innings to earn the Lady Bisons their second win of the season.

"It took us once through the lineup to see (Mascho), and then we started hitting," Clearfield head coach Bob Dixon said.

Megan Butler led Clearfield's 12-hit attack, going 4-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Janell Zalno, Melinda Owens and Chantel Read each added a pair of hits.

"We hit the ball well," Dixon said. "(Tuesday night) we had what I thought was the best practice we had outside. We talked to the girls about focusing on the game when they're here. We talked about focusing when they're in the batter's box. They worked hard and had a great practice, and it showed."

Andrea Butler picked up the win, pitching the final 2 2/3 innings in relief of first-time varsity starter Tristan Lewis. Butler entered in the top of the fifth inning with runners on the corners and only one out. She did uncork a wild pitch that allowed the go-ahead run to score, but rebounded to strike out the next two batters she faced to get out of the inning with the Lady Bisons trailing, 4-3.

Butler didn't give up much after that, allowing just a single in the sixth and issuing a walk in the seventh.

"That's what we hoped for out of Andrea," Dixon said. "But we were hoping to get seven out of Tristan. I asked her before the game if she was nervous, and she said she was a little bit nervous.

"I asked her in between each inning, and she was always a little bit nervous with first-game jitters. But I thought she gave us a solid four innings. It was a good learning experience for her ... it's going to build character.

Lewis tossed 4 1/3 innings in her varsity debut. She surrendered six hits and four walks, while striking out three batters.

"I thought Tristan did a good job the first time she's ever been on the field as a varsity player," Dixon said.

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the third inning, Clearfield tied the game courtesy of an RBI double from Read and a Bradford error that allowed her to score on a Courtney Morgan groundout.

After Bradford regained the lead in the fifth, the Lady Bisons answered in the home half of the inning.

Julie Colesar's double to deep left scored Zalno to knot the game, and Suzie Colesar's sacrifice fly plated Megan Butler, giving Clearfield a 5-4 lead ... a lead it never relinquished. Zalno and Butler each reached base in the inning with singles.

"That's five games in a row that Julie Colesar has hit the ball hard, and she finally got one to drop," Dixon said. "She's been hitting the ball well, but having hard luck because every time it's at somebody."

Owens' two-out single in the bottom of the sixth knocked in Mia Keener and Zalno to add a pair of insurance runs.

Clearfield improved to 2-7 with the win.

"I'm really proud of this team," Dixon said. "It's a good group of kids. It's a blast to coach them."

The Lady Bisons are back in action today at St. Marys.

Bradford-4
Dittman cf 4120, Keane ss 2200, Sloven c 4021, Harsen 3b 3000, Mascho p 3121, Harrington 1b 2011, Hillard 2b 4000, Abers lf 4000, Hollenbeck rf 3000. Totals: 29-4-7-3.

Clearfield-7
Zalno cf 4220, Owens ss 4122, M. Butler 3b 4141, J. Colesar 1b 3011, S. Colesar lf 1111, Cordon dp 3000, Read c 3121, Morgan 2b 3000, Keener rf 3100, Lewis p (flex) 0000, A. Butler p (flex) 0000. Totals: 28-7-12-6.

Score by Innings
Bradford     101 110 0-4  7 3
Clearfield   001 222 x-7 12 3

Errors-Harrington, Harsen, Dittman; S. Colesar, J. Colesar, M. Butler. LOB-Bradford 10, Clearfield 6. DP-Bradford. 2B-Mascho; Owens, Read, J. Colesar. SAC-Keane. SF-S. Colesar. WP-Mascho 3; Lewis, A, Butler 2.

Pitching
Bradford: Mascho-6 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO.
Clearfield: Lewis-4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO; A. Butler-2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO.
WP-A. Butler (2-5). LP-Mascho.
Time-1:46.