Five pitches into Wednesday night’s game it was 1-0 Leo and the Bellmont Braves were never able to catch up, falling to one of the top teams in the area and in the NE8, 2-0 at home.
Lillian Pierce (headed to St. Francis next year) doubled to right to lead off the game and then scored on another hit to right by Sara Hoeppner.
That 1-0 lead was just about all Mackenzie Arroyo needed as the Leo ace struck out 11 to throw a complete game shutout.
The Braves managed just three hits on the night and none of them came in the same inning. Emily Bleke pushed her batting average to .359 with a two-hit night and Makenzie Mankey hit her second double of the season. The rest belonged to Arroyo.
Leo added an insurance run in the top of the sixth with a productive groundout that scored the runner from third.
Bella Ashley went the distance for the Braves, throwing all seven innings and allowing six hits. She had one strikeout.
The Braves will travel to Huntington North to make up the game against the Vikings.