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Terry McCaulley

Caroline Showalter looks for signs.

Shaking up a batting order can be a risky situation, but it worked out well for Bellwood-Antis Wednesday in the District 6-AAA softball semifinals against Somerset.

Edyn Convery had hit clean-up for the Blue Devils all season, but with one game to play for a second-straight spot in the championship game, Coach Jim Payne shifted his senior third baseman down a spot to the three-hole.

Had it not worked, the move could have been second-guessed and questioned until next spring.

It’s a moot point, though. Convery hit a bases-loaded double in the third inning, giving starting pitcher Taylor Shildt all the run support she would need in a 2-0 B-A win at the Bellwood-Antis softball field.

The team now will play in the District 6-AAA championship game against Bellefonte next week at Beard Field on the campus of Penn State Universtiy.

“Coach told me he had a lot of confidence in me,” Convery said. “Nobody wants it to be their last game, so I knew I had to do something.”

Convery’s smash brought home Shildt and freshman Jestelynn Heaton. Heaton, who had led off the inning with a single, finished her day with a pair of hits.

“Edyn is hitting well for us and she really has a hot stick now,” said Shildt. “I think the move was a great move. Without it, we may not have gotten those runs.”

Then it was up to the defense, and the Devils regrouped from a couple of first-inning errors to play solid behind Shildt.

“We got back to playing Bellwood softball,” said Coach Payne. “We played a complete game. We need to hit better, but we were solid defensively ans controlled the game.”

Freshman second baseman Krystina Taylor said the team has worked a lot more recently on specific in-game scenarios.

“We have done a lot more situational things at practice,” she said. “It’s making us a lot more aware and comfortable in the game.”

Shildt went the distance for B-A, allowing only three hits while striking out four.

Coach Payne felt the team’s work ethic was evident in the win over the Eagles.

“The kids have amped up their practices,” he said. “They are staying longer, working harder, and demanding more of themselves. They didn’t just earn a trip to Penn State. They are putting themselves in position to do great things.”

The Blue Devils will face a Bellefonte team they defeated last year in the title game 5-1. Convery feels that will provide the Lady Raiders will extra motivation.

“They will be looking for redemption, so we will have to work extra hard over the next week to be ready,” she said.

“Bellefonte will be out for revenge,” said Shildt, who was the winner in last year’s championship game at Penn State. “We’re going to have to work our hardest because I know they will be doing the same thing over the next week.”

Heaton said playing as a unit will be the key.

“We have to come together as a team,” said Heaton. “We’ve got to play the way we know how to play.”