Published: May 09, 2008 12:06 am            

Early barrage

Bees get eight in first to reach regional title game

PLEASANT VALLEY — It only takes one or two plays to change the entire complexion of a softball game.

Take the first inning of Thursday’s Class AAA, Region I semifinal battle between East Fairmont and West Fairmont.

East used eight first-inning runs to advance to its seventh straight regional title game, 8-0, over the Polar Bears.

“This will be our seventh one in a row, and it’s always exciting,” East Fairmont head coach Chuck Fluharty said. “We played pretty well today, and I’m proud of the effort the girls gave.”

Things went from bad to worse for the Polar Bears, who never had much luck against the Bees, quickly.

West had Erica Aversa aboard when Jenn Williams hit a blooper over East starter Nikki Nuzum’s head to move Aversa to third.

With two outs, the Bees tried to get Aversa too far off third and ended up tossing the ball into left field. Aversa and a pinch-runner for Williams came around to score, seemingly putting the Bears up 2-0.

But just as the second run crossed the plate, the home-plate umpire ruled that the batter interfered with the throw to third, calling her out and ending the inning without any runs scoring.

“That blown call in the first really killed us,” West Fairmont head coach Ken Beerbower said. “That turned everything around and took away a lot of momentum.”

It didn’t help West that Fluharty moved reigning state Player of the Year Alli Mayle into the leadoff position, and she sent the second pitch she saw soaring over the left-field fence for a solo home run.

The homer shook West Fairmont starter Ashley Gwynn out of her comfort zone, according to Beerbower, and the result was eight runs pouring in before the Bears could stop the bleeding and get out of the initial inning.

“Alli’s lead-off home run really set the tone for us,” Fluharty said. “Jumping on them in the first really helped Nikki on the mound today.”

Nuzum pitched the entire game for the Bees without surrendering a run.

“Nikki pitched really well today,” Fluharty said. “It was a tight strike zone today, and she had to work a little harder. But she did a great job of making her pitches.”

Gwynn pitched all seven innings in the loss, but settled down after the first inning and kept the Bees from extending the lead.

“That home run really rattled her early,” Beerbower said. “But she settled down after that and pitched fairly well the rest of the game.”

The Bees will move on to face Wheeling Park in the Region I championship game on May 22 at Brooke High School.

“The girls played very hard today,” Fluharty said. “I looked around after the game and everyone was filthy dirty and had red stuff oozing out of them. I was really proud of the way our defense played today.”

E-mail Mike Bowen at mbowen@timeswv.com.

        

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