Twin Valley takes down Daniel Boone in Berks semifinal
LYONS — Bekah Slattery did her best to help Daniel Boone advance in the Berks Conference playoffs Tuesday. On the mound, the senior took a no-hitter into the sixth. On offense, she delivered four hits.
However, the Blazers could not overcome two base running blunders, a sixth inning defensive lapse and the pitching of Twin Valley ace Devon Haddow.
Haddow scattered seven hits and struck out nine to lead the Raiders to a 3-1 semifinal victory at the Lyons Fire Company.
“Devon was very good,’ Slattery said. “We couldn’t hit her rise ball.’
Emily Webster’s double drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning. Webster scored on the same play — via an errant throw from the outfield — for the Raiders, who will take on either Conrad Weiser or Wilson in the title game Thursday.
Daniel Boone — which posted base runners in every inning — had one runner thrown out at the plate in the third trying to score on a wild pitch, and another picked off at third in the fourth.
“Those sorts of things happen sometimes,’ head coach Traci Huddleson said. “That’s softball. We didn’t take advantage of our opportunities. We’ll learn from our mistakes and get better.’
The top-seeded Blazers (19-2), who stranded nine base runners, brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. But Haddow recorded a strikeout to end the game.
“The girls fought to the end,’ Huddleston said. “They stayed united from the first pitch to the last out.’
However, Twin Valley collected its initial hits in the sixth inning off Slattery to snap a 1-1 tie. Brooke Latchum, a courtesy runner, scored from second on a misplayed double off the bat of Emily Webster. An errant throw from the outfield allowed Webster to score on the play.
The Blazers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a ground ball by Heather Dell.
Twin Valley scored an unearned run in the third. Gina Gatto reached on an infield error and moved to third on a walk and a passed ball before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Sarah Clinton.
Huddleson lauded the performance of Slattery, who fanned nine and allowed just four hits.
“Bekah is more than a pitcher,’ the coach said. “She is an unbelievable leader, a total program player, very classy.’
Daniel Boone awaits its seeding in the District Three Class AAAA playoffs, which begins Tuesday. The team should know its first round opposition by Thursday, according to Huddleson.
“I can’t wait to begin districts,’ Slattery said. “I’m so excited to keep playing.’
Two years ago, after losing in the conference semifinals, the Blazers rebounded to finished second in the district tournament and reach the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
“We’ve been in this predicament before,’ the coach said. “So the seniors know how to react. I’m sure they will continue to lead the younger players in the right direction.’
