Burrell’s Armstrong outduels Freeport’s Selker as Bucs softball team earns 1-0 win
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Thursday, May 5, 2022 | 8:17 PM
Burrell starting pitcher Katie Armstrong threw a shutout against Freeport on Thursday, May 5, 2022, at Charles A. Huston Middle School.
Burrell catcher Bella Stewart makes a sliding catch on a ball hit by Freeport’s Natalie King in the seventh inning Thursday, May 5, 2022, at Charles A. Huston Middle School.
Burrell’s Bray Jones scores the only run of the game ahead of Freeport’s Sydney Selker in the fourth inning Thursday, May 5, 2022, at Charles A Huston Middle School.
Freeport starting pitcher Sydney Selker allowed only one run against Burrell on Thursday, May 5, 2022, at Charles A. Huston Middle School.
Second verse, same as the first.
The first Section 1-4A meeting between the Freeport and Burrell softball teams last Friday was a pitchers’ duel between Burrell’s Katie Armstrong and Sydney Selker. Each struck out 19 in the 1-0 Bucs victory.
Both pitchers again were solid in Thursday’s rematch at Bon Air Elementary field in Lower Burrell.
A bases-loaded passed ball in the bottom of the fourth was the difference in a 1-0 Burrell win that clinched at least a tie for the section championship.
“I was very excited to get in there and get the only run of the game,” said freshman Bray Jones, who walked with one out and later raced home from third to get Burrell on the board. “We already knew that it was going to be a tight game and that one run might win it.
“We were just very focused the whole game at the plate, on the bases and on defense. This one was like a playoff game, and coach (Rick Nealer) said we need to treat the next one like a playoff game, too.”
That next one is Monday at Greensburg Salem. The Bucs, now 8-1 in the section and 9-1 overall, can win the section title outright with a win over the Golden Lions.
After Jones drew the one-out walk, Alanna Miller singled to put runners on first and second. Cassidy Novak followed with a sharply hit ball to Selker, who decided to go to third.
Third baseman Autumn Powell was playing up to defend a possible bunt, and she was not able to get back to the third-base bag in time to make a force out.
The play loaded the bases and set up the game’s only run.
Selker recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning and prevent any additional Burrell runs. She finished the game with 10 strikeouts and two walks.
“Sydney and Katie are two very solid pitchers who don’t allow too much,” Nealer said. “We knew that the team that made the fewest mistakes would be the one to most likely come out with the win. That’s what happened today.”
Highlands (7-2) kept its hopes alive for a piece of the section crown with Thursday’s 11-7 win over Greensburg-Salem.
The Golden Rams are scheduled to face McKeesport on Friday in their final section game, weather permitting. Highlands needs to take care of business against the Tigers and hope for a Greensburg Salem upset of Burrell to claim a share of the title for the second year in a row.
Freeport (8-5, 6-4) came into Thursday’s game alive for a share of the section title, but the loss to the Bucs eliminated it from contention.
The Yellowjackets will continue playoff preparation with nonsection games against St. Joseph at home on Tuesday and at Hampton on Thursday.
The WPIAL softball playoff pairings for all six classifications are expected to be revealed Thursday.
Burrell, Freeport, Highlands and Knoch will represent Section 1 in the Class 4A tournament.
The one run was more than enough for Armstrong, who surrendered just one hit and struck out 15. A two-out double from Freeport catcher Natalie King in the top of the fourth didn’t bear fruit, as Armstrong struck out cleanup hitter Savannah Urik to end the threat.
Armstrong struck out 34 in the two games against Freeport. She has 149 strikeouts and has yielded just one earned run in Burrell’s 10 games.
Still, the Yellowjackets had a shot in the top of seventh as Selker, King and Urik came up to bat.
But Armstrong induced two pop-ups to freshmen catcher Bella Stewart — the second one forced Stewart to collide with the backstop fence as she made the catch — and freshman second baseman Pyper Ferres ranged into foul territory to haul in the game’s final out.
“I knew I just had to keep the spin on my ball, which I had working throughout the game,” Armstrong said. “I couldn’t miss because they are all really good hitters. I trust my defense to make plays for me. Bella and Pyper came through in a big way in the seventh when we all needed them.”
Burrell had chances to get on the board twice before the fourth.
Ferres led off the second with a double to deep left. But Selker got an infield pop-up off the bat of Jones and back-to-back strikeouts of Miller and Cassidy Novak.
In the third, Caroline Dynka, Burrell’s lone senior, and Armstrong delivered consecutive two-out singles. But Stewart flew out to center to end the threat.
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.
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