ST. MARYS — The St. Marys Lady Dutch just keep rolling right along.
Kelsie Fledderman drove in three runs, Avery Eckles pitched another strong game, and the Lady Dutch improved to 8-0 with an 8-2 win over Punxsutawney.
“These girls have worked really hard, and they know the game,” said St. Marys coach Matt Eckles. “They have a lot of knowledge for as young as they are, and that showed today.”
St. Marys struck for one run in the first inning when Kelsie Fledderman drew a bases-loaded walk against Punxsutawney pitcher Brinley Hallman, bringing in Molly Hanslovan, who singled with out.
The Lady Dutch took advantage of a Punxsutawney miscue in the second inning to score three more runs. Sophia Surra singled and Addison Beimel drew a walk with one out. With two outs, Gianna Surra hit a ball to right field that wasn’t fielded cleanly. Both Sophia Surra and Beimel scored, and on the throw back to second base to try and get Gianna Surra, the ball went into center field, allowing her to come all the way around the bases.
Punxsutawney answered back, however, with Ciara Toven stepping up with the bases loaded and hitting a double to score two runs. St. Marys turned it into a double play, however, nailing the runner in a rundown between third and home, and eventually tagging Toven out in a rundown between second and third.
“That was a huge turning point in the game when they seemed to be building a little bit of momentum,” Eckles said. “We were able to shut that down right there. It was a smart play. Everybody executed it excellently.”
Avery Eckles settled in from there, retiring eight of the next nine batters she faced, keeping Punxsy off the scoreboard the rest of the game. For the game, she struck out three and walked two.
“This is a total team game,” coach Eckles said. “We’re not looking for her to shut everybody down. We’ve got to keep the defense on their toes and in the game, and she does a good job of keeping everybody off balance.”
St. Marys got a run in the fourth inning, with Molly Hanslovan notching an RBI single.
The Lady Dutch struck for another run in the sixth, as Kaylen Eozzo led off the inning with a double and came home on Julianna Gerg’s RBI single.
The contributions came up and down the lineup, including from the eight and nine hitters, Giuliana Muccio and Sophia Surra, who had two hits each.
“It’s a good problem to have,” coach Eckles said. “I’ve got more bats than I know what to do with. These girls, everyone can hit from one to nine, and others can hit as well, but you only have nine spots on the field.”
Fledderman put the finishing touches on her afternoon in the seventh inning, belting a two-run double.
In addition to Muccio and Surra having two hits each, Hanslovan also had two hits, walked and scored a pair of runs.
Brynn Hergert had two of Punxsutawney’s seven hits. Brinley Hallman took the loss, allowing six runs (one earned) on eight hits in five innings, striking out six and walking three.
St. Marys looks to keep rolling along, as they return to action on Monday hosting DuBois. One thing is for certain, both coaches and players alike are excited about where the team is at, and where they’re going.
“That’s one of the best parts of coaching, is when you can see the girls execute things you’ve gone over in practice, such as the rundowns,” coach Eckles said. “Knowing where to go with the ball when they get it. That, as a coach, makes me more proud than anything that they can execute like that. It’s really, really fun. It’s cool to see. They’re growing and they know what they’re doing. It’s great.”
AT ST. MARYS R H EPunxsy
STM 130 112 0 8 9 1Punxsy:
STM: Eckles (3 SO, 2 BB) and G. Surra
