There was a shootout waged on Saturday at the Bellwood-Antis baseball diamond on Stadium Drive, between long-time Blair County rivals Bellwood-Antis and Central. In a game that began at 12 noon and wasn’t decided until the two combatants went into extra innings, the Blue Devils pulled out a 12-11 thriller.
Central’s Scarlet Dragons and the Blue Devils haven’t played each other much in the past few seasons with the advent of the Mountain Athletic Conference and the end of the old Blair County League, but the two schools have gone against each other in several sports, not the least of which was a district semifinal baseball game a few years which Central won with a late-inning home run.
On Saturday, there were lots of lead changes, hits, errors and excitement.
Central jumped on top 3-0 and 5-4 and after Bellwood-Antis came back to take a 6-5 advantage, took leads in both the seventh and eight innings. The Blue Devils scored in bunches with four in the second, two in the sixth and three each in the seventh and eighth.
Ernie Kelley pitched a masterful six innings allowing eight runs, only three earned on just three hits to keep his teammates close. Kelly deserved better, but walked seven and B-A committed a total of seven errors.
Andy Brisbin pitched the seventh and was roughed up for three runs on five hits, before Tyler McClellan came on to complete the eighth inning with runners on first and third and none out. Both inherited runners scored, but McClellan then retired three in a row, the final two swinging to pick up the victory.
Down 3-0 in the bottom of the second, Bellwood-Antis took the lead with a four-run second.
With one out, Brandon Beech walked and Adam DeArmitt singled. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch, then Brian Hostler singled home Beech. With two gone, Andy Brisbin delivered a clutch two-run single to tie the score. Chris Alley moved B-A into the lead for the first time crushing a double to right to score Brisbin.
Trailing 5-4, B-A retook the lead with a pair of scores in the sixth. Hostler walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Josh Kleinfelter singled Hostler in to tie the score 5-5. Brisbin’s infield out moved Kleinfelter all the way around to third base. Alley gave the Blue Devils another lead with a sacrifice fly to score Kleinfelter.
Needing three to tie in the seventh, Bellwood-Antis had Beech single with one out. DeArmitt doubled him to third and Hostler singled to score Beech and DeArmitt. Kleinfelter’s double off the high fence in left scored Hostler to send the ballgame to extra innings.
Central opened the eighth by putting the pressure on the Blue Devils with two more tallies to take an 11-9 lead.
For the fourth time on a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon, nearly four hours after the first pitch was thrown, Bellwood-Antis came back.
L. J. Seidel started the frame with an infield single. With one out, Beech doubled to drive home Justin Manning, running for Seidel. DeArmitt followed with his second straight double and third hit of the game to score Beech to tie the score. After Central got a strikeout for the second out, Kleinfelter drew an intentional walk. That set up a force at either first or second base. Andy Brisbin spoiled the strategy and won the game by stroking a line single to left that got pinch runner Jake Manning home with the winning run.
“Today was a great day for the kids, because they were able to battle back,” said Bellwood-Antis coach Steve Conlon. “They never got down on themselves. They continued every inning when we were down to get enough runs. We got baserunners on and did what it took to finally win in extra innings.”
Bellwood-Antis (2-4) plays Bishop Guilfoyle at Vets Field in Altoona today at 4:30 p.m., then hosts Glendale on Wednesday and travels to Moshannon Valley on Friday.
Bellwood-Antis 12 Central 11
Central – Hazenstab, cf-p, 4-1-0; Hale, 3b, 5-3-1; Stern, ss-p, 3-3-1; C. Johnson, c, 2-0-1; Lafferty, cr, 0-1-0; Olivieri, lf-cf, 4-2-3; Ritchey, 2b, 5-1-1; Blough, pr, 0-0-0; S, Johnson, rf, 5-0-1; Bridenbaugh, p, 0-0-0; Stiffey, cr-lf, 0-0-0; Dick, dh, 5-0-1; Detwiler, 1b, 3-0-0; Bechtel, ph, 0-0-0; Talbott, pr, 0-0-0. TOTALS 36-11-9.
Bellwood-Antis – Kleinfelter, lf, 5-1-2; Brisbin, 2b-p, 5-1-2; Kelley, p, 0-0-0; Winterstein, c, 0-0-0; Alley, dh, 4-0-1; Brunner, c, 4-0-0; Dorman, ph, 1-0-0; Seidel, rf, 4-0-1; Ju. Manning, pr, 0-1-0; Drost, ph, 1-0-0; McClellan, 1b-p, 5-0-1; Beech, 3b-2b, 4-3-3; DeArmitt, cf, Ja. Manning, pr, 0-1-0; Hostler, ss, 4-3-2. TOTALS 42-12-15.
Central 212 000 42 11- 9-4.
Bellwood-Antis 040 002 33 12-15-7.
2B: Stern 1, DeArmitt 2, Kleinfelter 1, Alley 1, McClellan 1, Beech 1.
HR: Olivieri 1.
RBI: Olivieri 5, S. Johnson 2, Stern 1, Alley 3, Brisbin 3, Kleinfelter 2, Hostler 2, Beech 1, DeArmitt 1.
SO: Bridenbaugh 7, Hazenstab 2, Stern 1, Kelley 6, McClellan 2.
BB: Bridenbaugh 2, Stern 2, Kelley 7, McClellan 1.
WP: McClellan LP: Stern.
