The Blue Devils baseball team capped off their week in extraordinary fashion on Thursday, winning 4-3 over Moshannon Valley at home.
Bellwood hasn’t really had any issues with the Black Knights in the past, as this will be the 4th consecutive year Bellwood has come out on top in its game against the former ICC rival. The game was highlighted with a walk-off sacrifice fly by one of B-A’s very talented upper classmen, Zach Gonzalez. He would also showcase his arm on the bump through the first 4 innings.
The Blue Devils were excited to break out of their 3-game losing streak, and ready to continue this kind of play through the course of the season.
Gonzalez dominated on the mound as the Black Knights just couldn’t touch him. He struck out 8 batters over 4 innings, just like he did in the Williamsburg game, the Devils’ other victory.
Bellwood would score a run in the 2nd and go up 1-0 early, but the Black Knights struck in the fifth, scoring 3 runs out of nowhere. Bellwood responded, scoring 1 more to trail 3-2.
The Blue Devils stayed strong, not allowing another run to cross the plate in the top of the 6th. As the bottom of the inning rolled around, the Blue Devils picked up a sense of confidence and scored another run to tie the game up at 3.
The game ended tied after seven innings, though not without drama. The Blue Devils held firm in the top of the 7th despite the Black Knights getting in scoring position.
B-A had the top of their order coming up. With runners in scoring position, Zach Gonzalez would step into the batter’s box and launch a missile to the outfield, allowing the winning run to cross the plate on a sacrifice fly.
When we asked Gonzalez how it felt to get the walk off, he replied, “It felt great to have the walk off and win for my team. It was a big moment, and I’m glad I could come through for us.”
We also asked how big the win was for the team. He replied, “The win was huge because we were coming off of two losses. It felt good to get back in the winner’s circle.”
Not only has Gonzalez been tearing batters up on the mound, but he’s clearly done his fair share in the batter’s box as well. Gonzalez rapped 2 hits in the game, going 2-for-3. Blue Devil freshmen Bentley Mellot and sophomore Brady McConnel also had 2 hits in the game helping Bellwood to ultimately capture the victory.
B-A now looks to showcase a winning streak in the near future. The Blue Devils’ record is now improved to 2-3. They will take on the Penns Valley Rams Tuesday, April 1.
