Bellwood-Antis continued to find ways to knock off an undefeated opponent. At Bellwood’s Stadium Drive Field on Saturday afternoon, the Blue Devils handed West Branch (4-1) their first loss of the season, outscoring the Warriors 13-9.
This was a bit of a turnaround from a season ago when West Branch, behind five unearned runs, gave B-A their first loss of the young season, 5-4.
On Saturday, in a game rained out from the week before, everybody in the Blue Devils’ starting lineup had at least one hit and scored a run. Designated hitter Matt Albright swung the big stick, going yard in the second inning and driving in four runs in total. Senior catcher Shawn Weiand had three hits in four trips to the plate and Albright, Andy Brisbin, winning pitcher Tyler McClellan, L. J. Seidel and Adam DeArmitt all contributed two hits.
Both teams’ designated hitters displayed their prowess. Albright was equaled by Tyler Piotroski for West Branch. Piotroski crunched a three-run homer and added a sacrifice fly for four RBIs of his own. Grady Luzier had two hits for West Branch and Dayton Ward and Skip Lawrence each added a double.
Lawrence’s two bagger gave the Warriors a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning against B-A starter Ryan Rhoades.
Bellwood-Antis came right back ripping West Branch pitching for nine second-inning runs to take the lead for good.
The Blue Devils sent 14 batters to the plate and banged out eight hits in the inning. Adam DeArmitt and Weiand singled in one run each, Nick Treese doubled home a pair and Albright stroked a two-run home run to highlight the uprising.
Then as they did in the 2003 game, Bellwood-Antis tried to give the game back to West Branch. B-A committed four errors over the next innings to allow the Warriors to score five times in the third and once in the fourth to close the margin to 9-8. All of these runs were unearned.
Bellwood-Antis reliever Tyler McClellan was able to settle the West Branch offense down after that, limiting the Warriors to just one more tally over the final three innings to pick up the win. McClellan, on the hill for the first time in two years of varsity action, gave up two runs, one earned on three hits in four and 2/3 innings, striking out two and walking two.
“Tyler came in and gave us what we needed,” said Bellwood-Antis head coach Steve Conlon. “He went through a little bit of a sore arm, but he toughed it out and kept us right there for the win.”
While holding a hard-hitting West Branch team to three earned runs all afternoon, Bellwood-Antis added an insurance run in the third, one in the fourth and two more in the fifth to wrap up their third win in as many days, after being rained out since their game at Mount Union on April 7.
Andy Brisbin singled to begin the bottom of the third, moved to third base on the first of two doubles by Weiand and scored on a long sac fly by Albright to the fence in the deepest part of left field. DeArmitt doubled with two out in the fourth and scored on an RBI single to right by Brisbin. In the fifth, Weiand and Albright banged back-to-back two baggers to open the frame with Weiand trotting home on Albright’s double. Then with two out, McClellan helped himself with a single to right that plated Albright.
“The kids came out today, one-through-nine in the order swinging the bat,” reported Conlon. “Matt Albright and Shawn Weiand stick out in my mind for hitting the ball well and knocking runs in. That’s what we have to do against a team like West Branch that hits the ball well. Today for some reason, we all swung well in hitting against what is probably one of the best pitchers we will face.”
Bellwood-Antis (4-2) is idle until Wednesday when the Blue Devils travel to Tyrone to play the Golden Eagles. Game time is set for 4 p.m. The Blue Devils will participate in the Second Annual Dean Patterson Curve Classic at Blair County Ballpark on Friday, playing Bishop Guilfoyle in the quarterfinal round, opening the tournament at 1 p.m. West Branch plays at Tyrone (3-0) today at 4 p.m.
Bellwood-Antis 13 West Branch 9
WEST BRANCH – Little, lf, 5-1-1; Ward, 3b, 2-2-1; C. Viehdorfer, ss-p, 4-1-1; D. Viehdorfer, c, 3-1-0; Cristiansen, cr, 0-0-0; Maguire, rf, 0-0-0; Moslak, cr-2b, 0-0-0; Piotroski, dh, 3-1-2; Amato, p-rf, 3-2-1; Luzier, 2b-ss, 4-1-2; Lawrence, 1b, 3-0-1; Peters, cf, 4-0-0. TOTALS 31-9-9.
BELLWOOD-ANTIS – Brisbin, 2b, 4-2-2; Treese, 3b, 4-1-1; Weiand, c, 4-2-3; Rhoades, p, 0-0-0; Kelley, lf, 0-0-0; Albright, dh, 3-2-2; Alley, ss, 4-1-1; Brunner, lf-1b, 4-1-1; McClellan, 1b-p, 4-1-2; Seidel, rf, 4-1-2; DeArmitt, cf, 4-2-2. TOTALS 35-13-16
West Branch 025 101 0 9- 9- 3.
Bellwood-Antis 091 120 X 13-16-3.
2B: WB- Ward 1, Lawrence 1, BA- Weiand 2, Treese 1, Albright 1, DeArmitt 1.
HR: WB- Piotroski 1, BA- Albright 1.
RBI: WB- Piotroski 4, Lawrence 2.
SO: WB- Amato 1, C. Viehdorfer 4, BA- Rhoades 1, McClellan 2.
BB: WB- Amato 2, C. Viehdorfer 1, BA- Rhoades 3, McClellan 2.
WP: McClellan LP: Amato.
