Clifton Central Surges Past Beecher 14-9 Despite Van Ness’s Perfect Day at the Plate

The Beecher varsity baseball team suffered a tough 14-9 home conference loss on Thursday, falling to Clifton Central in a high-scoring, back-and-forth contest defined by massive momentum swings.

Despite the loss, Beecher’s Gavin Van Ness delivered a flawless performance in the batter’s box. Van Ness went a perfect 4-for-4 on the afternoon, ripping a pair of doubles, driving in two runs, and scoring twice to keep the home team within striking distance.

The game’s fireworks began in the second inning. Clifton Central struck first, pushing four runs across in the top half of the frame. Undeterred, Beecher immediately answered in the bottom half, capitalizing on Clifton Central’s defensive miscues and timely hitting to orchestrate a massive six-run outburst and seize a 6-4 advantage.

The turning point came in the top of the fourth inning when Clifton Central’s offense erupted for six runs, reclaiming a 10-6 lead that they would not relinquish. The visitors utilized a relentless offensive attack, generating 15 hits and drawing eight walks throughout the afternoon to constantly apply pressure on the basepaths.

Beecher utilized a trio of pitchers to navigate the heavy traffic. Santino Imhof took the loss, tossing three innings while striking out two. Chasten Clegg provided two innings of relief, striking out four batters, and Easton Lane pitched two innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out three.

Beecher’s offense continued to fight down the stretch, manufacturing two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth. Chase Maher consistently put the ball in play, recording a pair of sacrifice flies to finish with two RBIs. Lane doubled and drove in a run, while Chasten Clegg added a hit, an RBI, and scored twice. However, Clifton Central continually added insurance runs in the late innings to keep the game out of reach and secure the 14-9 road victory.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• Second Inning:

  • Clifton Central opens the scoring with 4 runs in the top half.

  • Beecher answers with a 6-run outburst to take a 6-4 lead.

• Fourth Inning:

  • Clifton Central erupts for 6 runs to reclaim the lead at 10-6.

• Fifth Inning:

  • Clifton Central adds 1 run.

  • Beecher plates 2 runs in the bottom half to cut the deficit to 11-8.

• Sixth Inning:

  • Clifton Central scores 3 runs to extend the advantage to 14-8.

  • Beecher pushes 1 run across before the game concludes.

Individual Statistics

BATTING:

• Beecher: G. Van Ness (4-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R); E. Lane (1-5, 2B, 1 RBI); C. Clegg (1-4, 1 RBI, 2 R); T. Doran (1-3, 1 R, 1 BB); S. Imhof (1-3, 1 R, 1 BB); N. Hanson (1-2, 1 R, 1 HBP); D. Camilleri (1-1); C. Maher (0-3, 2 RBI, 2 SF); K. Clegg (0-3, 1 R); N. Fox (0-3, 1 R, 1 BB).

• Clifton Central: Individual statistics not provided. (Team Totals: 15 H, 14 R).

PITCHING:

• Beecher: S. Imhof (L, 3.0 IP, 9 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 2 K); C. Clegg (2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K); E. Lane (2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K).

• Clifton Central: Individual statistics not provided.