DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
FLATROCK – Wednesday’s matchup between to rivals – Heritage and Bellmont – featured a pair of teams who seemed to be heading in opposite directions when they took the diamond on a beautiful night for high school softball.
The Bellmont Braves had been off to a great start, but a pair of walk-off losses in their last two games had deflated the Braves’ balloon.
The Heritage Patriots, on the other hand, were off to a flying start with just one blip on their radar – being no-hit by the Carroll Chargers, a team that is not in their conference or class, on Monday.
When the game was finished and the Braves had completed a wild, 5-4 comeback win, it could almost be argued that both teams were back on the right track. Bellmont had proven that the two losses were bad luck and Heritage had proved that they will compete with the Braves in the upcoming sectional and they’ll have an extra card to play when they do.
Coach Minchski elected to pitch freshman Hadlee Shipp and her 0.00 ERA against the Braves, who might have been expecting another showdown with senior Danica Fuller.
Bellmont quickly ruined that perfect ERA by scoring twice in the top of the first. Emily Bleke legged out an infield single to lead off the game and Shipp plunked Oni Krueckeberg in the back. Both runners took bases on a wild pitch and passed ball and Finnley Godsey delivered an RBI hit through the right side for a 2-0 lead.
Heritage answered back, with Danica Fuller leading off with an infield single of her own, then scoring on Abriyah James’ double. James also scored to tie the game, tagging up from third after a great catch in center by Taylor Bauer.
Fuller singled and scored on another double in the third by James (James was gunned down at the plate later in the inning with a great tag by Emily Bleke) to take the lead and Shipp settled down, working her way through the second, third, fourth and fifth innings allowing just an infield single by Sophia Cole and a double by Bella Ashley.
Ashley, the Braves’ hurler for the night, also settled into the game after Heritage scored their third run. She struck out the side in the fourth and successfully worked around a hit by Fuller in the fifth by intentionally walking James and getting the next two batters to escape the inning.
Godsey nearly created a run for the Braves on her own in the sixth, smashing her second hit (and reaching base for the third time in three PA) through the right side. After stealing second in both of her trips to first earlier in the game, she took second on a wild pitch. While not credited with a steal on the next play, she certainly swiped an extra base.
Standing on second, Godsey faked tagging up from second (despite Taylor Sutter’s fly ball to center being caught no more than fifteen feet from the bag) and drew a quick throw from the outfielder. That rushed throw sailed over the infielder’s head and Godsey scampered to third with a smile. She later scored on Liz Bobay’s double to cut the lead to one.
With that 4-3 lead, Heritage went into the final inning hungry for a big, signature win. Hadlee Shipp got one of the toughest assignments done on her way to a win by inducing a groundout from Emily Bleke, with Fuller making the throw to get her by a step.
Oni Krueckeberg, however, reached with a single, and that was enough for coach Minchski to bring Fuller in at pitcher to see out the game.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to inflict harm on her pitching opposite, Bella Ashley doubled off the fence in left to score Oni. Ashley was replaced on the bases by courtesy runner Brynlee Straub, who took third on a passed ball, but Fuller recovered with a strikeout to a pinch hitter for the second out.
The hard-throwing senior could not find the strike zone, walking Godsey, who ended the game without making an out, and Straub came home to score on another passed ball, giving the Braves the lead for the first time since the first inning.
Ashley set the Patriots down in order in the seventh, striking out the final batter looking, for the win. She struck out six on the night, allowing ten hits while walking just one.
Fuller, who was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, was saddled with the loss in relief. She will likely have a chance to redeem herself as the starter if the Braves and Patriots meet in the sectional in May.
About the Author
