Pitching and defense driving Bellefonte girls

Opposing teams have been finding out that it’s extremely difficult to score runs against the Bellefonte softball team.

In fact, through seven games in the 2021 season, the most runs Bellefonte has give up in a game is one run. Even its lone loss, to Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte yielded just one run. It has outscored its opponents 58-5.

The Bellefonte girls continued that stinginess in the last week. They edged Clearfield, 2-1, last Tuesday and followed that with a 10-0, six-inning romp over Philipsburg-Osceola on Friday. Against Tyrone on Monday, they won, 5-1.

Bellefonte ace pitcher Lexi Rogers, who hiked her record to 6-1, tossed a two-hitter at home against P-O. She struck out 15 and walked three while her defense played errorless in six innings. Rogers surpassed career strikeout 300 during the game, and she has 82 strikeouts in seven games.

“Lexi was really good again in the circle,” Bellefonte coach Travis Foster said. “I didn’t think she was able to get really loose until about the second or third inning, due to the cold, but I thought she got better and better as the day went on.

“Coming in, she didn’t know surpassing 300 strikeouts was an option. She knew at some point she’d get it, but she didn’t realize she was so close. I’m super proud of her for getting the accomplishment. She’s earned it.”

Sara DeHaas hit two home runs and knocked in four runs in support of Rogers, while Haylie Rimmey had two hits, including a homer, and had four RBIs. Makenna Port doubled and had two of the team’s 11 hits off of three P-O pitchers. Rogers also doubled and drove in a run.

“Sara hitting her first home run in the first was big,” Foster said. “I thought it set the tone offensively for the rest of the day. Her second one was an absolute tank.”

Rogers struck out 16, walked three and gave up four hits in a pitcher’s duel against Clearfield’s Emma Hipps, who tossed a three-hitter and struck out 17.

Tori Reichert hit a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the sixth inning after the Lady Bison managed to score in the fifth.

Against Tyrone, Rogers tossed a three-hitter, struck out 15 and walked two. Bellefonte only had four hits, but they had seven walks. Hanna Lauck had two hits, including a double, and scored two runs.

Bellefonte is scheduled for a rematch at BEA on Thursday and will host Hollidaysburg on Friday.

BALD EAGLE AREA

Bald Eagle Area went 3-1 in the last week, suffering its first loss of the season to Williamsport, 5-1, last Thursday.

The 7-1 Lady Eagles beat Central, 11-1, last Tuesday, Tyrone, 8-4, on Friday and Huntingdon, 10-0 in six innings, on Monday.

Against Central, BEA pounded out 13 hits, including three from Mara Hockenberry and two each from Ava Stere, Autumn Tobias, Maddie Eckley and Maddie Peters. Peters gave up only two hits in six innings before Kaitlyn Smitchko relieved her in the seventh.

Peters struck out eight, walked two and gave up five hits in four innings against Tyrone, while Smitchko pitched three innings of hitless relief on a very cold day.

Eckley made a big running catch early in the game and had two hits, while Maddie Perry had two hits.

BEA had 13 more hits against Huntingdon in support of Peters, who hurled a four-hitter, struck out eight and walked none. Smitchko, Peters and Maegan King had two doubles each, and King drove in three. Hockenberry had two singles.

BEA managed only two hits off of Williamsport pitcher Avery Eisworth, who struck out four and walked three. Peters struck out eight and walked two.

In addition to Thursday’s home clash against Bellefonte, the Lady Eagles were scheduled to host P-O on Tuesday.

PENNS VALLEY

Penns Valley went 3-0 in the last week, with the highlight being a come-from-behind 7-6 win over Philipsburg-Osceola last Tuesday at home.

The Lady Rams (6-1) also hammered St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy, 15-0, in four innings last Wednesday and earned a big 5-0 win over Clearfield on Monday.

Penns Valley scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to get by P-O. Jordan Anderson had a double and three RBIs, while Allie O’Brien had two hits, including a home run, and scored four runs. Noelle Webb had two RBIs, while Kendra Bumgardner had two hits, including a double, and was the winning pitcher.

P-O actually outhit PV, 10-6, getting three hits from London Cutler, including two doubles, and two hits from Kaelynn Conklin.

PV pounded out 12 hits against St. Joseph’s. Avery Dinges had three hits and four RBIs, while Bumgardner had three hits, including a home run, four RBIs and three runs scored. Ellie Coursen had two hits and two RBIs, while Webb had two RBIs.

Bumgardner tossed a one-hitter, struck out nine and hit a batter against Clearfield. Clearfield’s Emma Hipps struck out eight, but PV had 10 hits off of her. Avelyn Van Heyst had two doubles and three RBIs, while Coursen had two doubles. O’Brien rapped two hits, including a double, while Webb had two hits and two runs scored. Dinges hit a home run.

The Lady Rams, whose game with Central last Friday was postponed, were scheduled to play at South Williamsport on Tuesday and host Huntingdon on Thursday.

PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA

Abby Vaux came off the bench to hit a two-out solo home run on an 0-2 pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift Philipsburg-Osceola to a 6-5 win over Central on Monday.

Leadoff hitter Jordan Mc-Donald had three hits, including a triple, drove in two and scored two runs. Mykenna Bryan also homered. Winning pitcher Karissa Taylor gave up three hits in five innings of relief.

In addition to its game with BEA, P-O (4-3) was set to host Clearfield on Thursday.

STATE COLLEGE

State College finally played Mifflin County on Friday after a COVID-19 shutdown, but the Little Lady Lions lost, 8-5. No details were available from that game.

State College (1-2) was scheduled to play at Cedar Cliff on Tuesday before hosting Central Dauphin on Thursday. The Little Lady Lions are scheduled to play in the Big Spring Tournament at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

ST. JOSEPH’S

CATHOLIC ACADEMY

The growing pains continue for St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy in its first season. In addition to the loss to Penns Valley, the WolfPack also lost to East Juniata, 15-0 in five innings, last Friday and 17-2 to Juniata Valley on Monday.

SJCA (0-4), which had a game against Greenwood postponed last Tuesday, was scheduled to play at Sugar Valley on Thursday and to host Mount Union on Friday.