BRAVES ONLY FIND ONE HIT IN 10-0 LOSS TO LEO

DECATUR- A leadoff single by Emily Bleke in the bottom of the first inning was the only hit the Bellmont Braves could muster Wednesday night against the Leo Lions, who already led 1-0 at that point and went on to tenrun the Braves, 10-0, in six innings.

Rachel Bleke started the game in the circle against the highly-rated visitors and pitched her way out of the first inning with just one run allowed.

After Emily Bleke’s base hit to left, Paige Busick sacrificed her to second, but the Braves never got another base the rest of the game. Mackenzie Arroyo got the next two hitters to strike out and pitched two more perfect innings before making way for Ellie Sauder, who needed just 36 pitches to throw three perfect innings herself. Sauder threw a perfect game against Heritage last month.

Leo added four more runs in the second, capitalizing on hit batsmen and walks by Bleke, who gave way to Piper Baker. Coming off an injury, Baker was likely not to exceed three innings of work and she allowed three hits and walked one and was charged with two unearned runs after the Braves outfield dropped one on the warning track.

Taylor Bauer took over in the fifth and worked a scoreless inning, but an illegal pitch call turned an out into a home run when the umpire called no pitch and Leah May made her pitch by ringing one off the scoreboard.

Brooke Sutter got the final two outs in the top of the sixth in relief, but Bellmont could not put a runner on base to force a seventh inning.

Leo had just five hits in the game, but the Braves walked eight and plunked four to do themselves no favors against the NE8 leaders.

Luckily for coach Mindy Buuck and the Braves, they have four days off and do not play again until Monday, when they begin a run of four games in four days.