Bethlehem Academy Fastpitch Defeats Cleveland

The Faribault Bethlehem Academy Cardinals scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning to defeat the Cleveland Clippers 8-3 today at Alexander Park in Faribault.  Fans were wearing stocking caps, gloves, winter coats and many were wrapped in blankets.

It was a fun game to watch with the Cardinals taking a 2-0 lead after 3 innings scoring a run in the second, the other in the third inning.

The second inning Bethlehem Academy starting pitcher 8th grader Morgan Wilson stroked a single.  Lindsay Hanson bunted her into scoring position.  Wilson then scored on an error.

In the third inning catcher sophomore Reagan Kangas walked with two outs and was clubbed home by a screaming double off the bat of shortstop sophomore Kate Trump.

Cleveland scored two runs in the top of the 5th inning to tie the game.  The first run was a solo home run by first baseman G. Korteum.  The next two batters were retired before number nine hitter centerfielder CC Connor hammered a double.  Shortstop H. McCabe knocked in the tying run.

In the bottom of the 5th inning the Cardinals went ahead when third baseman 8th grader Anna Tobin hit a single.  Centerfielder senior Malia Hunt singled.  With one out Trump singled to load the bases.  Tobin would score on a wild pitch.

The Clippers tied the game in the top of the 6th inning off Trump who came in to pitch and got the last out of the 5th inning.

With one out the cleanup hitter was walked.  During a ball hit back to the pitcher that runner froze between first and second and would have been a sure out at second but was allowed to go to second when they took the out at first instead.  Korteum was the next batter and hit a solid single to score the runner from second and the game was tied again.

Give Bethlehem Academy credit, they answered again.  This time with a 5 run bottom of the 6th inning.  All nine batters came to the plate in the home half.

Designated Player junior Katie Seidel walked to start the inning.  After a pop out second baseman 8th grader Annaa Cohen got an RBI single.  An error by the pitcher allowed another runner to reach safely.  Hunt coaxed a walk to load the bases before Kangas tomahawked the ball into center scoring two runs.

Wilson hit a two out single to plate two more insurance runs for the hometown team.

Trump then notched two strikeouts in the top of the 7th in a up and down in order ending to the Cardinals first win of the season.

The Cardinals are very young with two seniors on the team and two juniors.  There are five sophomores, five eighth graders and a seventh grader on the varsity roster.

I would love to give you more information about Cleveland but could find no roster on their website.  No Valley Conference rosters anywhere after repeated attempts to find them.

Bethlehem Academy hosts United South Central Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at Alexander Park Diamond #3.

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