Bethel Park softball fires on all cylinders in rout of rival Mt. Lebanon

By: Don Rebel
Friday, April 9, 2021 | 9:11 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Mt. Lebanon knew it had to play a perfect softball game against rival Bethel Park.

The Blue Devils did not bring their A game, leaving the Black Hawks still perfect.

Bethel Park exploded for five runs in the second inning and added 10 more runs in the fourth inning to cruise to a 15-0 victory in the Section 1-6A opener for both teams. The game ended after four innings due to the 15-run mercy rule.

“We are very happy with the way the season has started,” Bethel Park coach Heather Scott said. “We are playing well in all aspects of the game.”

The Black Hawks got all the offense they needed with one swing of the bat in the second inning, thanks to a long home run over the left field fence by Ohio State recruit Reagan Milliken.

“We’ve seen that before,” Scott said. “(Mt. Lebanon coach Casey Phillips) was right to walk her two times. She gets frustrated when teams do that because she wants to swing the bat.”

It looked like the Blue Devils would only yield that one run, but with runners on first and third and two out, Bethel Park junior leftfielder Abby Quickel hit a spinning ground ball off the end of the bat. The ball spun in and out of the glove of pitcher Kate Borza, and by the time the Blue Devils sophomore picked it up and threw to first, it was late and a second run had scored.

That play seemed to rattle Borza, who then walked two and gave up run-scoring singles to the next four batters, giving the Black Hawks a 5-0 lead.

“The narrative changes if we can get out of that inning down 1-0,” Phillips said. “When it’s 5-0, their pitcher is throwing a little bit harder because you can be a little bit looser with a five-run lead. We’re a little bit tighter at the plate because the urgency gets kicked up a notch.”

After Barza allowed one hit and faced four batters in a scoreless inning, the roof caved in for the host Blue Devils in the fourth inning.

Bethel Park sent 16 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs on only five hits with five walks, two errors and a hit batter between Borza and sophomore reliever Clara Hartnett.

Again, the damage occurred after two outs.

With a runner at first and two outs, Milliken was walked intentionally for a second time. The next 11 Bethel Park batters reached safely, and a fifth victory this season was secured.

Connecticut recruit Delaney Nagy was excellent in the circle for the Black Hawks. She yielded only two baserunners in four innings of work, when junior Iris Barone singled with one out in the first and sophomore Brooke Boehmer was hit by a pitch to lead off the second.

Nagy struck out five and did not allow a run, which is impressive considering Mt. Lebanon was averaging over 12 runs per game through its first five contests.

Every batter in the BP lineup reached safely and scored a run. Besides Milliken, senior Gianna Sciullo and freshman Savanna Knauff also had two hits each.

“Overall, we showed our youth today,” Phillips said. “They are a veteran, senior-laden team that has been playing together for a long time. We’re sophomore, sophomore, sophomore, junior, junior and really only start two seniors.”

The next section game for both teams is against Peters Township next week. Mt. Lebanon (0-, 4-2) will visit the Indians on Monday while Bethel Park (1-0, 5-0) will host PT on Wednesday.

Tags: Bethel Park, Mt. lebanon