Braves hit Luers for 19 runs
DECATUR—Aaliyah Faurote smashed two triples in the same inning and drove in five runs to spearhead an offensive explosion for the Bellmont Braves Tuesday as they beat Bishop Luers 19-2 to begin a stretch of three games in three days.
The Braves started with Taylor Bauer in the circle and Luers scored a run to lead off the game after two walks and a hit batsmen, but the home team erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the inning as they batted around. Emma Mills batted leadoff in the game and led off the inning with a single, then scored on an RBI double by Piper Baker.
Three straight walks loaded the bases for Bellmont and Sara Bechinski made it 5- 1 with a two-run single and Mills knocked in two more before the inning ended.
With the big lead, Bellmont immediately went to Brooke Sutter at pitcher and she worked a scoreless inning despite hitting two batters. The Braves handed her the victory with a 10-run second inning. Faurote hit one of her triples to score Rachel Bleke and Baker, then scored on an RBI groundout by Jill Wemhoff. The next seven batters reached base safely before Faurote tripled again, scoring the same two teammates as earlier in the inning to make the lead 16 runs at 17-1.
Coach Mindy Buuck took the advantage as sufficient and had Faurote and Sutter leave early for automatic outs to end Luers’ miserable ending.
Megan Prendergast doubled and scored off Sutter to double Luers’ run total, but Brooke allowed just two hits after that to finish with four innings pitched and two strikeouts.
Emma Mills and Kylie Wefel scored again in the fourth to finish off the scoring against reliever Reese Rhodenhamel, who was tagged for 12 runs over 1.1 innings.
Mills finished the game with five stolen bases and three hits, scoring three times.
Sami Christen, who continues to lead the team in hitting with a .485 average, was 2 for 2 with a double and three stolen
bases.
Piper Baker, whose return to full-time duty with the team from injury seems to have boosted the dugout, had a perfect 3 for 3 night with four runs batted in and three runs scored.
The Braves now face away game road trips at DeKalb tonight and at Bluffton Thursday. The game against struggling Luers allowed coach Buuck to rest Rachel Bleke and Piper Baker. The team will play four games in five days next week, the final week of the regular season.