DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
DECATUR – It may not have been pretty, but the Bellmont Braves rallied together and overcame the absence of their ace, Bella Ashley, to win in an NE8 contest against Huntington North, who came into the night without a win on the season.
Bellmont won the game with a big six-run inning in the bottom of the fifth.
Taylor Bauer pitched in the absence of Ashley, allowing six runs in five innings of work and striking out five.
The Braves looked on their way to a 10-0, 15-0 or even 20-0 win in the first inning, smashing the ball through the HN infield and scoring four times with all nine girls batting.
Huntington North answered back, however, and scored four times in the second and then twice more in the third and actually led the Braves with the game half over.
That changed in the fourth, when Bellmont reclaimed the lead with a second double on the night for leadoff hitter Emily Bleke. The next four batters all reached first base safely and Oni Krueckeberg scored on a passed ball to make it 7-6.
The Braves then scored six times in the fifth to set things straight again.
Bleke, Bauer and outfield Taylor Sutter all had two hits for the Braves.
The team will play two more home NE8 games next week: Monday against New Haven and Wednesday versus DeKalb.
