Three East Noble errors were crucial to Bellmont’s efforts to finish off the NE8 season with four straight wins Monday night as the Braves beat the Knights 10-8.
The win gave the Braves an improbable 4-3 finish in the conference, tying them for third place after starting off the year with three straight losses against the top three teams in the NE8 (Leo, Huntington North and Columbia City).
The Knights led early, building a 5-0 lead against starter MK Scheumann, but the sophomore came back for a scoreless third inning with the help of a double play that she started.
The Braves cut into that lead after the big defensive play with good baserunning and a loss of control by East Noble pitching. Emily Bleke, who singled in the inning, scored on a bases-loaded walk to Makenzie Mankey and Taylor Bauer scored on a passed ball to bring the home team to a 5-3 deficit.
Bella Ashley took over in the circle and pitched the rest of the game, allowing a couple of late runs but holding on for the win with four strikeouts.
Bleke hit an RBI double and then scored on an Ashley triple in the fourth to tie the game. Another triple, this time from Scheumann, gave the Braves the lead for good. Emily Bleke came up later in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and cleared the bases with a ground ball to short that was mishandled.
Because of the errors, the Braves had just five RBI, with two from Mankey and one each for Bleke, Ashley and Liz Bobay.
Bleke, Aaliyah Faurote and Sami Christen each scored two runs.
The Braves are set to play at Snider Tuesday night if the rain stays away.
Fans of Bellmont softball can hear the team on Friday when they take on Homestead on 92.7 FM.
About the Author
