Lady Bulldogs Roll A Perfect Seven on Softball Field

There are many ways to win softball games.

Some are won with pitching and defense.

Others are won with powerful hitting.

You can also win games by putting the ball in play, running the bases smartly and taking advantage of your opponent’s mistakes.

That’s the recipe for success used by Batavia’s softball team during Friday’s 10-7 Upstate Eight Conference victory over Metea Valley in Batavia.

Improving to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play, the Bulldogs capitalized on a key Metea Valley throwing error during their three-run, fourth-inning rally that snapped a 5-5 tie.

After a one-out double by Meghan Fabian, Katie Neubauer flied out to center before Christine Lynam coaxed a two-out walk to put runners on first and second.

Brooke Nelson then smashed a one-hop grounder to Metea Valley pitcher Jenna Hall for what appeared to be the last out of the inning.

However, Hall threw wildly to first base, allowing Fabian and the sliding Lynam to cross the plate, putting the Bulldogs on top 7-5.

“We’ve been talking about how you run everything out and not just assuming because you do hit into what you think is an easy play,” said Batavia coach Ashley Szymski. “Anything can happen, especially when pitchers field the ball,” added Szymski. “If you noticed, our pitcher ran and tossed it (the ball) to first because she understands what when you’re pitching with the underhand motion time after time that sometimes the turn and throw to first can result in a wild throw.”

Two pitches later, Nelson scored on a wild pitch to up the Bulldogs’ lead to 8-5.

Metea Valley, which finished with 14 hits, scored single runs in the fifth and sixth to make it 8-7, but Batavia added a pair of insurance tallies in the bottom of the sixth and reliever Neubauer closed it out with a scoreless seventh.

Nelson began the game with a bang by hitting a three-run home run over the left-field fence in the first inning.

“It was my first high school home run,” said Nelson. “It was a great feeling.”

The win capped a 3-0 week that began with a 15-0 whitewash of East Aurora on April 5 and included a 6-3 road win over Bartlett on April 6.

Trailing Bartlett 3-0 early, the Bulldogs responded with a three-run third to tie the game and added three more runs in the fifth to take the lead for good.

Neubauer (2-0) had two hits and a pair of RBI, while Katie Coleman and Lynam added doubles for the Bulldogs, who are scheduled to play three conference games in as many days, beginning with Monday’s clash at Neuqua Valley.

“It’s fun winning,” Nelson said of the team’s fast start. “We have a better bond than we did last year.”