After historic playoffs run, the Lady Bison found themselves at the Nittany Lion Softball Park staring down two things, a state championship and the Tunkhannock softball team. After spending the first four innings down Lauren Ressler stepped up to the plate. Ressler hit a home run that brought in two points. Coach Derek Danver said, “Once Ressler tied the game…I knew we were in a really good spot.”

The Bison and the Lady Tigers stayed tied 2-2 until the bottom of the seventh inning. The Lady Bisons won the game in a walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh inning. Alexis Bumbarger’s hit over the head of the Tunkhannock’s shortstop allowed Singleton to advance home with no opposition and win the game.

The Lady Bison’s win is Clearfield High School’s first state win. When asked how he prepped his team for the pressure they would feel during the state game, coach Danver responded with, “The coaching staff and I just stayed consistent with them all season telling them how much we believed in them and that we knew they could accomplish great things. When games were on the line, there is no other group of girls out there I would have rather had on my team.”

The Lady Bison softball team will lose seven seniors in the upcoming 2022-2023 season. Although the Lady Bison will lose many girls who played big roles on the team coach Danver looks toward the future of the program. “The freshman has one of the largest softball classes since I have started coaching. It will be important that we get them all to come out again this year.”

The team has already started their off-season work playing in a fall ball league at Heindl Field in Dubois. On top of these preseason games, the Lady Bison will also continue their “Morning Crew”. According to Coach Danver, the morning crew is, “6:00 AM workouts a couple of days a week that focus on building strength, speed, and agility.”

Coach Danver has many hopes and goals for the upcoming season including keeping Clearfield Softball on the map. Coach Danver states, “For many years we were at the bottom of the league. The teams we have had the past few years have changed that. They have started a tradition of winning softball. I want to keep that tradition going.”

The state championship team includes Alexis Benton, Lauren Ressler, Kylee Hertlein, Emma Hipps, Olivia Bender, Alexis Bumbarger, Eve Siegel, Paige Houser, Ruby Singleton, Alexis Cole, Alaina Fedder, Anna Twigg, Madi McBride, Alexus Green. The coaching staff includes Derek Danver, Harlan Funk, Sandy Bailor, Mike Norris, and Casey Swatsworth