BELLEFONTE — With the regular season winding down and the District 6 softball playoffs approaching, Bellefonte gained some bragging rights among Centre County foes last week.
The Lady Red Raiders beat Penns Valley, 10-0, in six innings on Thursday, May 2, at home. They also beat Philipsburg-Osceola, 8-6, on Friday, May 3, at O’Leary Fields. Then, on Monday, May 6, at Huntingdon, Bellefonte scored eight runs in the seventh and rolled to a 16-0 rout.
P-O, which outhit Bellefonte, 10-6, held a 6-5 lead until the Lady Red Raiders scored two in the fifth and one more in the sixth.
Bellefonte’s Ragan Manning went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs from the cleanup spot. Grace Novitsky had an RBI and scored three runs. Madison Ripka added a double. Carley Clarkson earned the win with three innings of no-hit, three-strikeout relief.
P-O leadoff hitter Ashlynn Havens continued her scorching hitting, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Alivia Bizzarri had two hits, including a home run, and four RBIs, while Emily Gustkey had two hits, including a double, and an RBI and two runs scored. Bizzarri struck out nine, walked four and gave up six hits and four earned runs.
Clarkson fired a one-hitter against Penns Valley while striking out three and walking none as she threw 55 of her 72 pitches for strikes. Sienna Barnhart gave her support with two hits and a run scored, while Novitsky and Manning drove in two runs apiece. Ripka scored three runs.
Taylor Brown went 4-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and four runs scored against Huntingdon, while Novitsky went 4-for-6 with a double and two RBIs. Maria Cotter doubled, drove in two and scored three runs. Clarkson tossed a five-hitter, struck out nine and walked one.
BEA ROLLS TO THREE WINS
Bald Eagle Area went 3-1 in a week, winning 10-0 in five innings on Tuesday, April 30, at Clearfield, 11-1 on Thursday, May 2, at Central and 9-1 over Williamsport on Monday, May 6, at home. However, the Lady Eagles did lose to Punxsutawney, 2-1, on Friday, May 3, at home.
Sierra Albright fired a one-hitter, yielding only a bunt single in the bottom of the fifth, while striking out 10 and walking none against Clearfield. Addisyn Burns delivered three hits and four RBIs, and Kailey Eckert had three hits. Shae Housel and Taylor Habovick had two hits apiece.
BEA pounded out 16 hits against Central. Housel swatted three hits and knocked in two, while Burns also had three hits. Sydney Thompson, Alexa Baney and Alyssa King delivered two hits each. Albright tossed a four-hitter, struck out eight and walked none.
Albright tossed a two-hitter, struck out 12 and walked two against Williamsport. Ava Stere went 4-for-4 with a monster home run over the center field fence and two RBIs.
“It cleared the scoreboard by 20 feet,” BEA coach Don Lucas said, “and landed in the backfield behind our game field.”
Eckert, Thompson and Habovick had two hits each in a 13-attack of five different pitchers.
Albright found herself in a pitching duel with Punxsy’s Brinley Hallman. Albright struck out nine, including the 600th of her career, walked two and gave up six hits, while Hallman struck out six, walked one and also yielded six hits. Baney had two of those hits.
“Both pitchers pitched very well,” Lucas said. “We had numerous opportunities to score, but Hellman pitched herself out of danger with getting us to chase pitches out of the zone or her defense playing really well behind her.”
STATE COLLEGE GOES 3-1
State College went 3-1 last week, beating Central Mountain 4-0 on Monday, April 29, at home before splitting a doubleheader on Tuesday, May 30, at Cedar Cliff, winning 6-2 and losing 8-4. Then State College earned a 3-1 victory on Thursday, May 2, at Red Land.
State College’s Addie Harpster fired a one-hitter while striking out 13 and walking two against Central Mountain. She helped herself out with two hits, including a home run and two runs scored. Gabi Todd homered, doubled, knocked in two runs and scored a run.
State College erupted for four runs in the fourth inning in the win over Cedar Cliff. Jess Hawbaker and Alissa Fritz had two hits apiece, and Sydney Wells had two RBIs. Hawbaker, Gabby McTavish and Sarah Mellott had doubles. Harpster struck out six, walked two and gave up only two hits and no runs in five innings of relief.
The Little Lady Lions actually outhit Cedar Cliff, 10-5, in the loss, but they couldn’t dig out of an eight-run first inning hole. Harpster pitched the last five innings in relief, striking out eight, walking two and giving up just one hit and no runs.
Harpster, Tori Kroboth and Todd had two hits each, and Kennedy Stahl had two RBIs.
McTavish was the only Lady Little Lion to have two hits, including a home run and a double, against Red Land. Harpster struck out 10, walked one and gave up only one hit and no runs in five innings as a starter. She also hit a home run.
LADY MOUNTIES RALLY PAST TYRONE
Philipsburg-Osceola went into its eventual loss to Bellefonte coming off a come-from-behind 8-5 win on Thursday, May 2, at Tyrone.
P-O, which banged out 14 hits, scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to overcome the Lady Golden Eagles. Havens, Morgan Vaughn and Maddyx Hampton delivered two hits apiece. Payton Barnett had four RBIs, and Alli Muir doubled.
