Junior trio leads Burrell softball team to key victory over Deer Lakes

By: Michael Love
Monday, April 29, 2024 | 10:23 PM

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Three was the magic number for the Burrell softball team in its Section 1-3A clash with rival Deer Lakes Monday evening at Bon Air Elementary.

The top three in the batting order, that is.

Those three — shortstop Pyper Ferres, catcher Bella Stewart and third baseman Braelyn Jones — went a combined 6 for 7 with two home runs, two doubles, all five RBIs and all five runs scored off of Lancers senior pitcher Maddie Kee in a 5-3 victory.

“This was a big win for us,” Burrell coach Dave Ferres said. “I said at the beginning of the year that we were going to be led by those three juniors. They are great leaders on and off the field. Then on defense, they made a number of important plays to get outs. The big thing for us is making plays, hitting the ball and (freshman) Shelby’s (Novak) pitching.”

Burrell improved to 9-5 overall and finished 7-3 in section play. The Bucs, who snapped a two-game losing streak (Freeport, Avonworth), stayed alive for a share of the section title.

The Antelopes defeated Shady Side Academy, 15-0, on Monday to improve to 7-1 in the section. They have won seven section games in a row since a 5-2 loss to Deer Lakes on April 10.

Burrell hosts Class A power Union on Wednesday and Class 4A Highlands on Thursday.

“Union may be just one-A, but they are a tough, tough team,” coach Ferres said. “They only have one or two losses on the season. We’ve made it a point to not schedule any gimmes. Win or lose, the girls want to be challenged. It will help us be ready for the playoffs.”

Ferres was 3 for 3 with a double and two runs scored, and Stewart was 1 for 1 with a pair of walks. Her two-run homer in the bottom of the third broke a scoreless tie.

Ferres and Stewart were on base when Jones crushed a Kee offering over the center-field fence in the bottom of the fifth to make it 5-1.

“If I could go back, maybe we would’ve walked Braelyn, but at the same time, I trust Maddie,” said Deer Lakes coach Rick Cerra, who saw his team fall to 9-7 overall and conclude section play at 6-4. “Maddie is a good pitcher. She’s one of the best. Braelyn is a heckuva hitter with a lot of power. She hit a good pitch from Maddie.”

The five runs of support helped Novak, who picked up the complete-game win. She gave up six hits and walked four, while striking out five. She surrendered an unearned run in the fourth.

Deer Lakes, like it did in a 4-2 loss to Burrell on April 15, mounted a rally in the seventh. Catcher Tia Germanich led off the seventh by drawing a walk.

With one out, Haley Friess singled to put two runners on, and designated player Ella Thomas followed with a single to plate Germanich to make it 5-2.

Thomas, however, was thrown out by Stewart at second on a steal attempt.

A walk to Ava Shea and a run-scoring single from leadoff hitter Avery Rethage closed the gap to 5-3.

Sophia Laurenza came to the plate representing the go-ahead run. She made good contact on a Novak offering, but her screaming liner was right at Jones at third. Jones made the catch to end the game.

“This was a good win for us because it put us in at least second instead of fourth,” Jones said. “We’re a young team with no seniors. We’re still working on some things while we improve.”

Added coach Ferres: “Deer Lakes is just like any other team in this section. They’re going to keep fighting until the final out. A lot of times, one or two hits, defensive plays or errors are going to decide the game. We all know we’re in it until the end. That’s how this game can go and often does.”

While Cerra said he would like to have seen a little more offense from his lineup, he was proud of the way his players kept battling.

“I told the girls that was the positive of the game, that they continued to fight and got close in that last inning,” Cerra said. “But for us to go anywhere, we have to hit the ball. We should’ve been hitting the ball better today. We were way out in front on a lot of (Novak’s) pitches.”

Kee was strong against the bottom six of the Burrell batting order. That group went 1 for 17 against her with 13 strikeouts. Novak had the only hit, a single with two outs in the fifth. The two walks to Stewart were the only ones Kee gave up in the game.

Deer Lakes will be back at it Thursday at Shaler.

“We have some tough games before the playoffs,” said Cerra, whose team also will play Knoch and Fox Chapel next Monday and May 8, respectively, to close out the regular season. “The girls will be ready to play those games.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes