Beall having a ball for Franklin Regional softball

By: William Whalen
Monday, April 1, 2019 | 6:02 PM

Franklin Regional softball standout Angalee Beall has never been one to show off. It’s not her style. The senior pitcher prefers to let her play do the talking.

But last Thursday against Connellsville, she couldn’t help herself.

With the scored tied 6-6 in the top of the seventh inning, Beall stepped into the batter’s box to face Connellsville pitcher Mia Burd. The senior Cornell commit had been pitching inside all game, and it was only a matter of time before Beall would make her pay.

After nearly getting hit twice, Beall cranked Burd’s 2-2 pitch over the left-field fence for the winning run. It was vintage Beall.

“It felt really good,” Beall said. “I knew what it felt like (coming off the bat). I didn’t have to look. My first base coach said, ‘Go, go go, it’s gone.’ That’s all I heard.”

Home runs aren’t anything new for Beall. She’s hit plenty, including back-to-back homers against Armstrong last season. It’s what happened next that was completely out of character. Beall rounded the bases doing a fist pump.

It was a rare sign of emotion for Beall.

“I normally do not show any emotion when I’m playing,” Beall said. “Being that it was such a close game and it’s my senior season, I wanted to show emotion. Everybody was waiting for me at the plate.”

Beall pitched the bottom of the seventh inning, and the Point Park commit retired the Connellsville side in order to pickup a 7-6 Section 1-5A win over the Falcons.

“All of my adrenaline from that hit powered into my pitching.,” Beall said.

The win was especially sweet considering Connellsville knocked the Panthers out of the playoffs last season.

“She was just doing that arm-pump thing (around the bases),” said Franklin Regional coach Jim Armstrong. “That was the first time, in four years, she’s gotten emotional about anything.”

And with that, the legend of Beall grew.

“She’s just all-around good,” Armstrong said. “Her pitching is good. She’s a great hitter and instinctive, and a lot of kids don’t have that. She’s just so nonchalant about it and has a great attitude.

“She’s very level. She takes everything as it comes, has a great demeanor and that’s what makes pitchers good.”

For three seasons, Beall was like a poker player out there. Showing no emotion was her thing. It was part of her game.

But this being her senior season, she’s leaving it all out on the field. Beall tapping into her emotions could spell trouble for the rest of Class 5A. After a run of successful regular seasons over the past three years, Franklin Regional (3-2, 2-0) has yet to make a deep postseason run.

If the Panthers do make a run through the WPIAL playoffs this season, they can look back to Beall’s fist pump as one of the sparks that got them there.

“She’s done a great job,” Armstrong said. “With any senior, you’ve been with them for four years and you watch them develop and everything. She went from a shy little girl to taking charge and doing what she needs to do.”

Armstrong has seen his fair share of ballplayers roll through the Franklin Regional program during his 19 seasons as coach. He ranks Beall near the top.

“She’s right up there,” Armstrong said. “Allie Vrcek was probably the best. I’d say that Ang is right up there in the top five. Allie was probably the best we ever had.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Franklin Regional