Delone Catholic turns to the bunt to beat Biglerville

For four innings on Monday afternoon, Delone Catholic's bats were dormant against Biglerville's Katie McCauslin.

Then, the Squirettes turned to something that is foreign to them — bunting to start a rally — and that keyed an 11-run explosion in the 12-3 win.

"That's not something we've done much of," Delone head coach Don Smith said. "I think it helped them a little bit; bunting is a very important factor in the game."

Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the fifth, Lauryn King and Shayna Rider laid down bunts for singles.

A minute later, Delone had scored five runs to lead 6-3.

"(The bunting) got people on base," Delone's Shelbee Holcomb said. "We were struggling hitting, so getting people on base was key."

Katie Laughman tied the score with a two-run double down the left-field line.

Moments later, Holcomb delivered the key blow, as she ripped a liner to deep left-center. As the ball rolled farther away from the infield, Holcomb raced around and scored with ease after Laughman.

"It's this feeling when you hit it, you know. It's a great feeling," Holcomb said. "I think hitting it over the fence feels better, but running the bases is fine, too."

Delone Catholic's softball field does not have an outfield fence; however, no fence would have contained Cassie Rickrode's blast on the next pitch.

Delone's pitcher and clean-up hitter launched a majestic blast that landed just inside the left field foul line and next to the equipment shed around 300 feet from home plate.

The fervor with which Rickrode rounded the bases was not even remotely necessary, as she too scored with ease.

"It's difficult when you've got girls who can lay it down five feet in front of the plate, and then hit it 300," Biglerville head coach Bill Woodward said. "You don't want to be standing halfway down the line, but at the same time, you have to respect the bunt."

Delone pulled away in the sixth, again using bunts to beget extra-base hitting.

King led off with a walk and moved to second on Rider's second successful bunt single.

Laughman followed up her previous RBI double with a bunt single to load the bases for Holcomb, who smashed a two-run double to left-center to make it 8-3.

Rickrode grounded hard into a fielders' choice, and despite a great play by Maddie Wenk to knock the ball down and get an out at third, another run scored.

A two-run triple by Lori Sheaffer made it 11-3.

After awkwardly stumbling onto third base, which her teammates found much humor in, Sheaffer scored on Hannah Friedline's RBI single to round out the scoring.

"It shows we can come back. We are not an easy game," Holcomb said.

"Last year, we jumped on teams early," Smith said. "That's not the first time this has happened this year. It seems like we have to go through the order once or twice before we start hitting."

Biglerville took the extra base all afternoon, and found odd ways to score.

Courtney Taylor's bloop RBI single gave the Canners a 1-0 lead in the first.

Rickrode tied the score in the third when she scored after her single was overrun in left field.

Biglerville took the lead in the fourth on a pop-foul sac fly to first base by Mackenzie Bender scored Helayna Stanko.

Wenk stole a run in the fifth when she raced home on Ali Sowers' weak grounder to first.

Delone Catholic 12, Biglerville 3

Biglerville1001100—3 42Delone Catholic001056x—12152

Big, Katie McCauslin and Maddie Wenk. DC, Cassie Rickrode and Lauryn King.

SO-BB — Big, McCauslin 5-3. DC, Rickrode 10-3; W — Rickrode; L — McCauslin; 2B — DC, King, Katie Laughman, Shelbee Holcomb, Mikayla McCleaf; 3B — Big, Wenk. DC, Lori Sheaffer; HR — DC, Holcomb, Rickrode.