Spot starter Ryan Myers tossed a seven-inning complete-game victory for Bellwood-Antis on Thursday against Moshannon Valley and the bottom of the Blue Devils lineup came through for the second straight day in a 4-3 B-A win.
Myers yielded a first-inning run on two singles, a walk and a sacrifice bunt before settling down. Over the final six innings, the senior right-hander struck out seven, scattered four hits and allowed only unearned runs in the sixth and seventh innings to pick up the victory. Myers had pitched just two innings this season before Thursday’s makeup game at Bellwood.
Matt Godin pitched well for the Black Knights, giving up just four hits and four runs, two earned, while striking out nine and walking one. Godin struck out the first four batters he faced, but couldn’t keep the Blue Devils’ Number eight hitter Andy Brisbin and Number nine batter Chris Alley off the bases and it cost him the ballgame.
In the third inning after Godin had retired the first seven Blue Devils in a row, five of them on Ks, Brisbin dropped a bunt down the third base line, catching the third baseman napping. Brisbin beat the throw for a base hit and when Godin, who had to field the ball, threw wild, Andy kept on going to second base. Alley was safe on an error by shortstop Scott Godin, Matt’s twin, with Brisbin scoring from second on the play to tie the game. Adam Plummer broke the tie with a timely two-out single to right that plated Alley with the go-ahead run.
In the fifth inning, Brisbin drew a walk to begin the at bat. With Alley batting, Brisbin went to second on a wild pitch. Alley struck out on a pitch that was down in the dirt, but reached base safely when the ball got away from catcher Matt Hansel with Brisbin taking third. Alley and Brisbin then worked a double steal with Alley swiping second and Brisbin going home when the throw went to second to attempt unsuccessfully to get Alley. Plummer then singled in Alley for what proved to be the winning run.
Mo Valley, who falls to 4-2 overall and 3-2 in the Blair County League, scored unearned runs in the sixth and seventh to cut the B-A lead to one, but Myers struck out Matt Belella to end the game with the potential tying run at first base.
“That was an excellent performance by Ryan Myers today,” said Bellwood-Antis coach Steve Conlon. “He showed all heart out there. Ryan had pitched just two innings all year long and came out to throw seven strong innings and bear down whenever he needed it with runners on base. That was all we could have asked for, he gave everything. The rest of the team stepped up behind him and made the plays when they were needed. We got a couple timely hits and the bottom of the lineup came through again.”
Andy Brisbin had quite a week at the plate. In three ballgames, the B-A sophomore second baseman went six-for-six, including a three-run home run in Wednesday’s game against Penns Valley, and had three walks, with four runs scored to reach base in nine straight plate appearances.
Bellwood-Antis (6-1) is now on the road for their next six straight games, beginning next Monday with a game at Williamsburg, followed by trips to Glendale on Wednesday and Mount Union next Friday. Starting times for Williamsburg and Glendale is 4 p.m. and Mount Union is 4:15.
Bellwood-Antis will compete in the District VI playoffs in Class Single-A, not Double-A as mentioned previously in game articles.
Bellwood-Antis 4 Moshannon Valley 3
MOSHANNON VALLEY – Selvage, cf, 4-1-2; Deao, ss, 1-0-0; Hawkins, 1b, 2-0-2; Passmore, pr, 0-1-0; Kohute, lf, 4-0-1; Belella, rf, 4-1-0; Hansel, c, 2-0-0; Rebo, ph, 1-0-0; M. Godin, p, 0-0-0; Stine, dh, 3-0-0; S. Godin, 2b, 2-0-0; Keith, 2b, 0-0-0; Holencik, 3b, 2-0-0; Williams, ph, 1-0-0. TOTALS 26-3-6.
BELLWOOD-ANTIS – Shannon, cf, 3-0-0, Stere, ss, 3-0-1; Plummer, 1b, 3-0-2; Weiand, c, 3-0-0; Miller, lf, 3-0-0; Carlson, rf, 3-0-0; Myers, p, 3-0-0; Brisbin, 2b, 1-2-1, Alley, 3b, 2-2-0. TOTALS 24-4-4.
Moshannon Valley 100 001 1 3-6-2.
Bellwood-Antis 002 020 X 4-4-4.
RBI: Kohute 1, S. Godin 1, Plummer 2.
SO: M. Godin 9, Myers 7.
BB: M. Godin 1, Myers 4.
WP: Myers LP: M. Godin.
