The Bellwood-Antis girls softball team made a very profitable trip to Williamsburg on Thursday afternoon. The Lady Blue Devils were the team scoring runs in bunches for a change in an 18-6 triumph over Williamsburg for their first victory of the year in a Mountain Athletic Conference matchup.
Bellwood-Antis scored eight times in the top of the first before the Lady Pirates even had a chance to bat and added two runs in each of the second, third and fifth innings and four more to end the game via the mercy rule in the sixth.
Both members of the B-A battery, pitcher Christine Pfahler and catcher Charlie Burns reached base on all five trips to the plate for the Lady Blue Devils. Pfahler reached on an error, three singles and a double, and scored four times. Burns walked twice, doubled and singled and scored five times. Heather Detwiler and Kerstin Myers both had two hits, including a triple by Detwiler. Jen Bilka knocked in four runs, and Pfahler and Karli Rogers had three RBI.
Myers and Dani Riley had two RBI. Pam Weyant scored four times.
Pfahler went the first three innings on the mound to pick up the victory. Pfahler struck out four and walked five. Freshman Courtney Hamer tossed the final three scoreless innings for the Lady Blue Devils, when Pfahler got a little bit tired in the hot, humid afternoon, picking up the save, fanning one and walking five. Hamer yielded just one harmless single as the two Bellwood-Antis pitchers kept the Lady Pirates off the scoreboard over the final four innings.
Williamsburg tried to stay with the Lady Blue Devils scoring four times in the first to cut the B-A lead in half and two more in the second, but Pfahler shut down the Lady Pirates over the final four innings on just one hit.
“It was amazing how the bus ride was on the way home after you win,” said B-A coach Alex Sitman. “Williamsburg is a rebuilding program like us. This was a good game for us to take into the second cycle. Our girls work so hard and have such great attitudes. Pam Weyant played a great defense for us making one running catch going into the gap. Heather Detwiler had a nice day at the plate. Jen Bilka didn’t get any hits, but always seemed to be coming up with runners on third base. She kept knocking in the runs. Christina Pfahler pitched a great game and after she got a little tired, Courtney Hamer came in and did a nice job in her first time on the mound. Our goal is to reduce the numbers of walks and errors and execute plays. If we can do that, it will be tough with the competition, but I think we can be competitive the second cycle.”
Robley took the loss for Williamsburg, striking out four and walking 10, although her teammates committed eight errors in the field.
Bellwood-Antis (1-9) will play at Tyrone on Monday, then Bishop Guilfoyle at home on Tuesday, and Claysburg-Kimmel away on Thursday. The Tyrone and BG games will start at 4:30 p.m. and the Claysburg contest will begin at 4 p.m.
Bellwood-Antis 18 Williamsburg 6, 6 innings
Bellwood-Antis – Weyant, cf, 4-2-1; Detwiler, ss, 5-2-2; Pfahler, p, 5-4-4; Burns, c, 3-5-3; Myers, 1b, 3-2-2; Bilka, 2b, 3-1-0; Rogers, rf, 4-1-1; Riley, 3b, 3-1-1; Hamer, lf-p, 1-0-0; Helsel, dp, 1-0-0. TOTALS 32-18-14.
Williamsburg – Yeager, ss, 3-1-1; Robley, p-lf, 2-1-1; Wyland, c, 4-1-2; Rhoades, rf, 2-1-0; Speacht, 3b, 4-1-1; Delp, lf-p, 2-0-0; Kifer, cf, 3-0-1; Mingle, 2b, 2-0-0; Saltsgiver, 1b, 3-0-0. TOTALS 25-6-5.
Bellwood-Antis 822 024 18-14-5.
Williamsburg 420 000 6- 6-8.
2B: (BA) Pfahler, Burns, (WB) Robley, Wyland.
3B: (BA) Detwiler.
RBI: (BA) Bilka 4, Pfahler 3, Rogers 3, Myers 2, Riley 2, Helsel 1, Weyant 1, Detwiler 1, (WB) Wyland 1, Speacht 1, Kifer 1.
SO: (BA) Pfahler 4, Hamer 1, (WB) Robley 4.
BB: (BA) Pfahler 5, Hamer 5, (WB) Robley 10.
WP: Pfahler LP: Robley.
