PHILADELPHIA – Sometimes a team scores an early run or two, and deep down, you kind of know it’s over.
Such was the emphatic case yesterday afternoon.
About the only thing more splendid than the gorgeous weather was the pitching by Archbishop Ryan’s Dana Bell. The super-focused freshman surrendered a measly one base runner, and her Ragdolls defeated four-seed Archbishop Wood, 3-0, in a Catholic League softball semifinal at La Salle University.
Ryan will return to La Salle and meet Lansdale Catholic for the league title 3 PM Friday.
“It’s an exciting time for all of us,” said Bell. “I think we are in a good place. We’re confident in our ability to keep going. We beat a very good team today and have to beat another good team in the championship.”
The regular-season champion Ragdolls jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Senior Kate Ostaszewski led off with a single, moved to second on a ground out, and scored on junior Megan Kidd’s RBI single. A passed ball plated a second run. Ostaszewski and Kidd were the only Ragdolls with two hits.
Ryan added an insurance tally in the third. But by that point, it was clear that Bell was lights out.
Coming off a two-hit win over eight-seed Cardinal O’Hara in the quarters, Bell came within one out of a perfect game. But with two outs in the fourth, junior Gianna Lancelotti hit a bloop to right field that fell in for a hit. She attempted to stretch her hit into a double, but junior Tori Slook threw her out at second.
It was that kind of day for the Vikings, who battled in several at bats but couldn’t quite solve the puzzle on the mound. But it wasn’t like Ryan’s offense was punishing Wood pitcher Marisa Browne, whose line score offered six innings, seven hits, one walk, and one earned run while striking out six. The Drexel University-bound standout induced nine straight outs from the fourth inning through sixth.
The Lady Vikes, however, shouldn’t feel too badly. In two playoff games, Bell has pitched 14 innings and allowed a ridiculous three hits, one walk, and no earned runs. She struck out 11 Vikings, a minimum of one in each inning.
In softball, when a pitcher is that ‘on’, there’s not much you can do.
Winning pitcher, freshman Dana Bell, has learned to "pitch" as opposed to "throw":
Ryan Senior Haley Burns talks about what it's like to catch for Dana Bell:
Ryan junior Megan Kidd tallied the only RBI in the Ragdoll's victory:
Ryan Softball Photos by John Knebels & Mike Gray
“When I know I have a hitter that is hitting a lot and is fouling off a lot of balls, I know I gotta really work on my spins,” said Bell. “I know I’m not going to be able to just throw it past them. I really have to pitch the ball and get it where it needs to be.”
Bell did that time and again. The reward is a trip to the Catholic League championship and a chance to win a fourth title in five years.
(John Knebels can be reached at Jknebels@gmail.com.)