Murderer’s Row
Lady Blue Devils Are Raking at the Plate This Season
Bellwood-Antis senior Emily Nagle, who has blasted six homeruns, is one of many Lady Devils crushing the softball this spring.
*EDITOR’S NOTE: The Lady Blue Devils played to a tie in their ICC championship game with Everett 1-1 after severe weather made the playing surface unuseable. The teams shared the ICC title. B-A opens District 6-AA tournament play May 15.
The Bellwood-Antis girls’ softball team has been absolutely on fire at the plate. With seven of eleven batters hitting over .300, these girls are doing a stellar job in the box.
There are two girls hitting above .400 to lead the Lady Blue Devils in batting. Jaquelin Finn has a .470 average and Emily Nagle has an astounding average of .631.
The girls have a record of 17-2 and with excellent hitting this season they are on their way to something big, starting today with the ICC championship game in Everett.Nagle knows how much hitting is leading their team. “It’s a lot less pressure on people if everyone can get a hit, because we know no matter what happens, someone will get a hit,” she said.
“Batting a .631 is the best batting average I have ever had. The past couple of years I have been stressed trying to hit the ball out of the park. This year, I’m going to bat knowing that I’ve done this a million times. Also, getting my 100 hits early relaxed me.”
Nagle, who has 14 RBIs and leads the team with six home runs, knows how important hitting will be in the playoffs.
“Because we have young pitchers, our success will be determined by our hitting,” she said.
Sophomore Edyn Convery, a .375 hitter who has smacked three home runs and driven in 15 runs, put her two cents in about her teams hitting.
“We are doing really well. We have already faced a D-I pitcher, Kyrsten Coho from Claysburg. Our team motto is together, and we are good when we all come together and hit.”
The team has 33 doubles and 13 home runs. Other big hitters include sophomore Caroline Showalter, who leads the team with 23 RBIs, and classmate Laycee Clark, who has a .394 average with 17 runs and 26 hits to go along with 19 RBIs.
“When we hit home runs it really amps us up and pushes us to do better,” said Edyn
Even the pitchers on the team appreciate and acknowledge that the team’s hitting is huge.
“It gives me lot more comfort knowing that I can give up a run here or there, because I have a good hitting team behind me,” sophomore Taylor Shildt said.
