Neiswender’s 7th-inning blast gives Boyertown edge over Perkiomen Valley
GRATERFORD >> It can boggle the mind, the way a hit ball can alter the complexion of a pitchers’ duel.
Especially when it goes “yard,” as was the case Wednesday when Perkiomen Valley hosted Boyertown in a Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division pairing on the Vikes’ home field.
Ella Hurter and Bella Reedy cruised on the mound for the Bears and Vikings, respectively, for six innings.
But Kyra Neiswender damaged that showing with one swing. Boyertown’s freshman shortstop caught a Reedy pitch — her signature “screw curve”, according to head coach John Pascucci — and put it over the center field fence in the top of the seventh to break open the deadlock forged in the second inning.
The solo shot gave Hurter the impetus to work a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh and give Boyertown a 2-1 win and even the Bears’ record at 2-2 league (3-3 overall).
“It was definitely a pitchers’ duel,” Boyertown head coach Kim Musselman agreed. “They were both pretty consistent.”
Hurter and Reedy combined for close to two dozen strikeouts, Reedy with a 12-10 edge in a game that saw only a combined seven hits and two walks in that span.
It was noted Reedy’s “screw curve” is her big strikeout pitch because of its tendency to go low over the plate. But that suited Neiswender just fine with one out in the top of the seventh.
“I tend to hit low pitches,” she said.
“She took a low swing at it,” Pascucci added. “She had her bat down and stroked the ball.”
Hurter, who had the distinction of striking every PV batter out at least once, used her repertoire of pitches to maximum advantage. She fanned the Viking side in the fifth and had other 1-2-3 innings in the first, third and seventh.
“Everything was working,” she said. “My screwball was working very well.”
Neiswender also factored in the Bears’ first run, hitting a leadoff single in the second. It proved a short-lived lead, however, as the Vikes got the run back in the bottom of the frame when Reedy drew a walk and came around off another free pass to Denise Hurd and Isabella DiRaimondo singling.
“We have to get our bats going,” Pascucci said. “If the bats go silent, that’s where we struggle.”
Neiswender, who rang up her third home run of the spring, got an idea the hit was gone from her teammates.
“The team got loud, and they screamed,” she recalled.
To be sure, Hurter enjoyed the round tripper almost as much as Neiswender.
“It felt really nice,” she said. “That was one instance where it worked.”
The loss nullified Reedy’s own stellar mound performance. Along with the dozen whiffs, the sophomore yielded no walks and worked 1-2-3 innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth.
Like Hurter, she fanned the side in the fifth.
“A homer over the fence beat us,” Pascucci said after seeing his club (3-2 overall) come up empty in a second PAC contest.
For her part, Musselman expressed satisfaction with the Bears’ progress at this stage in the season.
“We have great chemistry,” she said, “and we’re playing clean softball.”
NOTES >> Alyx Morgan and Lauren Homa also hit safely for the Bears. Morgan singled to start the game, and Homa doubled pinch-hitting in the seventh after Neiswender’s homer. … Ella Strechay and Sam Corey had PV’s other hits. … Boyertown’s defense turned a double play in the fourth, Hurter relaying to Avery Frey at first after fielding Sam Sciarra’s hit and Frey throwing to Nicole Kratz to get Corey for the inning-ender.
