Published: May 16, 2008 12:13 am            

Eagles dropped on road

BELLEFONTE — Pitcher Deandra Sidisky allowed two hits while Bellefonte erupted for an eight-run sixth inning en route to an 8-1 quarterfinal win over No. 5 seed Somerset during the District 6 Class AAA softball playoffs on Thursday.

Fourth-seeded Bellefonte (14-7) advances to face No. 1 Greater Johnstown in Monday’s semifinal, a rematch of last season’s district title game.

“I had all the confidence in my team that we would be able to pull this game out,” said Sidisky, who allowed a hit in the second and sixth innings. “We’ve been working hard all week in preparation for this game and we knew we could pull this off.”

Sidisky and Somerset junior Autumn Yoder matched pitch-for-pitch with the Lady Eagles nursing a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning. Yoder allowed no runs on just one hit until the fateful sixth. Somerset was playing in it’s first playoff game in 12 years.

Nursing a 1-0 lead Yoder (6-7) had retired 12 straight until the sixth inning.

Danielle Gomola jumpstarted the Lady Red Raiders’ offense with a solid one-out single to left-center. Following a stolen base, Brittany Smith’s RBI single to left-center tied the game.

After Erica Pooler walked, Josie Capparelle drilled a line drive single off shortstop Nicole Shaffer’s glove for a run. Back-to-back walks to Taryn O’Connor and Emily Dauberman preceded an RBI single from Brittany Rockey and two-run singles from Sidisky and Gomola.

“I guess it was a pretty big hit,” said Gomola of her hit to start the Bellefonte rally. “But two hits in one inning, I don’t know if I’ve ever done that or not. I do know that once we got starting hitting they couldn’t stop us. And since it was a 1-0 game for a long time, the defense had to stay focused. We had to stay together and not let anything bother us.”

Somerset took a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

Nicole Shaffer smacked a Sidisky fastball to the hill in deep right field for a leadoff triple. Sidisky should have gotten out of the jam after forcing two pop-ups and a ground ball, but third baseman Rockey’s throw was high and wide of first baseman Capparelle.

“We never let that miscue bother us because we have the confidence that everything was going to be alright,” Sidisky said. “All we had to do was stick together, get a couple of hits and runs and get ready to head to Johnstown.”

        

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