By Bruce Sayler
Butte Central picked up an important Southwestern A Conference softball win Wednesday at Stodden Park. The Maroons beat Corvallis 13-8 on what was depicted as a warm spring day, but chilled deeply by cold winds from the snowcaps of the mountains surrounding the valley.
Braelynn Schelin, one of six sophomores in the BC lineup, pitched the winner and doubled twice while playing a starring role. She struck out six batters and walked three.
A seven-run second inning and four-run fifth fueled the Butte Central victory while Corvallis committed 10 errors as flyballs in the swirling and strong gusts turned Blue Devil infield and outfield defenses into dance recitals.
The Maroons fared a little better. They were guilty of only one error.
“She got better later in the game,” BC head coach Chunky Thatcher said about the Schelin performance and told that she had been held from action is some games recently because of a slight groin pull. “We’re playing better.”
Butte Central did play better Wednesday, and the young and growing ballclub has gotten to the stage where their coach now frets about the little things needing polishing for improvement to become excellence.
Thatcher pointed to elements like advancing on bases when opportunities arise, making throws behind runners sometimes to catch them off base and knowing the count and situation for bunting and the hit-and-run plays and the chain reaction that ensues in the offense, pressuring the defense.
The Maroons scored 13 runs, though, which were certainly enough this day and Schelin capped off her impressive performance by retiring Corvallis in the top of the seventh inning on four pitches. She got Brenna Bear to hit a foul popup behind the plate on the first pitch and catcher Natalie Osterman caught it. Natalie Jolley missed the next pitch then hit the second to center field where it settled into Luci Fantini’s waiting glove. Karter Sorensen took a try on the next pitch and bounced it to second baseman Blake Smith. She threw to first baseman Kodee Badovinac and the game was over.
“Our outfield is good and our defense is the best we’ve ever had,” Thatcher said about the fielders and his tenure at the helm. “We have to do the little things right to win the games.”
Left fielder Zayonna Otherbull, center fielder Fantini and right fielder Arika Stajcar all made good catches in brutal winds.
The Blue Devils took a 2-0 edge to begin the game as Taylor Andersen and Brooklyn Cary clocked back-to-back doubles and Ella Daly drove a single to right field. After a groundout, they loaded the bases with a walk to Callie Andersen and Isabella Cardullo getting hit by a pitch. Schelin then got a strikeout and a groundout to get out of the inning without suffering further damage.
Butte Central got one of the runs back in the bottom of the first. Blake Smith led off with a walk, took second on a wild pitch and then, after a walk to Fantini, raced home when Kenzie McQueary hit into a fielder’s choice.
The Blue Devils increased their lead to 4-1 with two more runs in the second inning. Sorenson led off with a single to left and then Taylor Andersen walked. Cary parachuted a windblown single behind third base, but all runners held and the bags were full. Schelin got the next two batters on infield popups before Callie Andersen delivered a two-run single to left field. A flyout finished the frame.
The BC girls exploded in their half of the second, scoring seven runs on five hits and eight Corvallis errors. Eighth-grader Ryan Olson clubbed a one-out double to left field and took third on a passed ball to ignite the uprising. Arika Stajcar grounded out, scoring Olson on the fielder’s choice. Smith bunted for a single and got to second on a throwing error. Cambi Campbell’s sacrifice bunt was misplayed and so was Fantini’s as two runs scored. McQueary knocked in Fantini with a single to center field. Osterman’s base hit to left field was booted and McQueary scored. Schelin’s pop fly to the right side of the infield fell free when two Blue Devils collided trying to make the catch. Osterman went home on it. Badovinac reached base on a flyball that glanced off a fielder’s glove and then the wind took Olson’s infield popup and made it uncatchable, letting the seventh run of the inning come home.
It was an 8-4 lead for Butte Central, but only for a few minutes. Corvallis bounced back with four runs in the top of the third inning to tie the score. Bear and Jolley worked consecutive walks to start the inning. Taylor Andersen grounded into a fielder’s choice one out later before Cary singled to left to pack the sacks with two out. Daly then brought in two runs with a base hit to center and then the Maroons’ only error of the game let in two more.
Schelin then shut the Blue Devils out for the last four innings, recording five strikeouts over the fourth, fifth and sixth and allowed only a single to Sorensen in the fifth.
The BC girls broke the 8-all tie with a run in the fourth inning. Schelin ripped a one-out ground-rule double to right field, went to second on a passed ball and scored, after a strikeout, on a wild pitch.
They stacked four more runs in the fifth, all with two outs. Campbell bunted her way on and stole second base. Fantini’s bloop single to short-center field batted Campbell in and McQueary mashed a double that traced the left-field line. Osterman’s flyball to the outfield was dropped and both Fantini and McQueary ran home. Schelin then banged a double to center field and McQueary scored.
Schelin issued just three walks in her work from the circle. Fantini, McQueary, Schelin and Olson finished with two hits each.
Taylor Andersen pitched for Corvallis and finished with seven strikeouts and two walks wile giving up 11 hits.
The teams will play again on Saturday in Corvallis in conference action.
Corvallis 224 000 0 – 8 9 10
Butte Central 170 140 x – 13 11 1
Taylor Andersen and Isabella Cardullo. Braelynn Schelin and Natalie Osterman. W – Schelin. L – T. Andersen.
CORVALLIS (N/A) – Taylor Andersen (P) 1-3, Brooklyn Cary (SS) 3-4, Ella Daly (1B) 2-4, Libby Jessop (RF) 0-4, Callie Andersen (2B) 1-3, Isabella Cardullo (C ) 0-3, Brenna Bear (DP) 0-3, Vivian Storrud (Flex/RF) 0-0, Natalie Jolley (LF) 0-3, Karter Sorensen (CF) 2-4.
BUTTE CENTRAL (6-7, 2-5) – Blake Smith (2B) 1-4, Cambri Campbell (DP) 1-3, Zayonna Otherbull (Flex/LF) 0-0, Luci Fantini (CF) 2-2, Kenzie McQueary (SS) 2-4, Natalie Osterman (C ) 1-4, Braelynn Schelin (P) 2-4, Jordyn Samson (CR) 0-0, Kodee Badovinac (1B) 0-4, Ryan Olson (3B) 2-4, Arika Stajcar (RF) 0-4.
Extra-base hits – 2B – T. Andersen, Cary, Olson, Schelin 2, McQueary.
Runs batted in – Corvallis 6 (Daly 3, C. Andersen 2, Cary 1), Butte Central 7 (Fantini 2, McQueary 2, Schelin 1, Olson 1, Stajcar 1).
