Softball: Riverdale hits 3 homers, hands St. Bede season-opening defeat

PERU – With a strong core back from a Sweet 16 squad, the St. Bede softball team has high hopes for the season.

So the Bruins aren’t going to let a season-opening, 7-1 loss to Riverdale in a Three Rivers Conference crossover Monday derail their goals.

“I told the girls, ‘Listen, one game doesn’t define us,’ ” St. Bede coach Shawn Sons said. “Certainly not the first game of the season. Some of the girls were playing a little bit tight. They were pressing. You can tell they were nervous. But now they have one game under their belts.

“Hopefully, they’ll shake that off and we’ll come back and get a win (Tuesday).”

The Bruins never managed to get their offense going against the Rams, managing just three hits.

Addie Bontz, Bella Pinter and Tess Dugosh each had singles.

St. Bede did load the bases in the fourth inning and pushed across its lone run when Dugosh drew a bases-loaded walk, but the Bruins left the bases full.

I told the girls, ‘Listen, one game doesn’t define us.’ Certainly not the first game of the season. Some of the girls were playing a little bit tight. They were pressing. You can tell they were nervous. But now they have one game under their belts. Hopefully, they’ll shake that off and we’ll come back and get a win (Tuesday).

—  St. Bede coach Shawn Sons

“We don’t like to focus on the negative,” Sons said. “We like to focus on the positive stuff. We hit the ball hard at times. It was just right at them.

“You have to be able to string hits together. We had runners on base. We had the bases loaded and couldn’t get the timely hit. Those are things we have to work on.”

The Rams, meanwhile, got their offense going with plenty of power during their second time through the lineup.

After a strikeout to start the third, leadoff hitter Lexi Duke ripped a double that one-hopped the fence. Following an infield single, Wisconsin recruit Alivia Bark blasted an opposite field, three-run home run to right-center field. Two batters later, freshman Katie Cox blasted a two-run shot to right-center for her first career homer.

Bark belted her second homer of the game, a two-run shot, as part of the Rams’ three-run fifth inning.

“We are capable of that,” Riverdale coach Randy Creen said. “We have four or five girls who have power, and then we want everybody else to just put it in play. So it all worked. It’s nice when that happens.

“I think it was an adjustment to the umpire’s strike zone (that helped us get going in the third). It was a little bit higher, so the girls did a great job making the adjustment when the ball was high and outside. The three home runs were to right-center. We work all the time on hitting that outside pitch, because that’s where everybody throws.”

Kayleigh Hartson earned the win in the circle for the Rams (2-1), as she allowed one earned run on two hits with five strikeouts, three walks and a hit batter in four innings.

Addie Secker pitched the final three innings, giving up one hit with one strikeout and two walks.

“Our defense was solid,” Creen said. “They had two line shots our third baseman (Duke) caught, they had a couple hot grounders to first base and that one ball hit to center field that I think everybody thought was going to go over (Secker’s) head, and she made a great play. Just solid defense. Our pitchers were spot on. They were hitting their spots.”

Reagan Stoudt took the loss for St. Bede, allowing seven runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in four innings.

Ella Hermes closed out the game for the Bruins, allowing four hits with three strikeouts and a walk in three scoreless innings.