How Bellefonte baseball jumped out to four-inning, 15-0 victory over Jersey Shore
Bellefonte senior pitcher Derek Fravel relishes the opportunity to pitch in any conditions, no matter how warm, cold, wet or dry.
On Friday, Fravel pitched in the snow with winds gusting and pushing the ball in every direction. Fravel got off of the mound in just four innings on Friday in a 15-0 victory over Jersey Shore. He allowed just two hits in the victory, allowing zero runs, while striking out nine batters.
“It feels awesome,” Fravel said. “It was already cold out, and it was nice to get the win. I had a tough outing my last time out — I had 50 pitches in two innings. Coming out here throwing 60 (pitches) in four (innings), I felt really good.”
Peyton Vancas and Fravel each had two hits to lead Bellefonte. The Red Raiders tallied nine hits on the day and didn’t commit an error. Triston Heckman and Fravel each had RBIs and set the tone early in the game offensively.
“I was just trying to get on base early and hit the ball out there,” Heckman said. “I know we had the bases loaded, and I was just trying to get some runs in from the fifth spot.”
Jersey Shore starting pitcher Gage Martzall took the loss, allowing three hits and nine runs in 2/3 of an inning. Martzall and Tyler Bauder had the team’s lone two hits of the game — both singles.
The Red Raiders jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first inning. Heckman and Braedyn Kormanic each had a triple to clear the bases. Jersey Shore’s defense misplayed two balls put in play by Josh Brown and Vancas, along with a ground out by Jacob Corman to score a runner and a double by Trevor Johnson.
Bellefonte continued its push in the second inning when Kormanic drove in Josh Brown on a fielder’s choice. Fravel followed up with a two-run double that gave the Red Raiders a 12-0 lead. They kept swinging in the third with a Vancas hit that drove in Dominic Capperella, followed by a Fravel single that scored Vancas for the 14-0 lead. Alexander Ebeling later doubled in the fourth inning and Johnson drove him in with double for the 15-0 mercy-rule victory.
“It felt great,” Johnson said of his game-winning hit. “We played as a team all game, and for me to end it, it’s not just me — it’s everyone else that came together to score those 15 runs.”
Capperella’s Wednesday no-hitter impresses Clark
Dominic Capperella threw a no-hitter in Bellefonte’s Wednesday 12-0 victory over Huntingdon. The junior pitcher went five innings, striking out eight batters and walked none. Red Raiders head coach Jon Clark was complimentary of Capperella and the effort that he and the rest of his pitching staff put in during the offseason to improve.
“One of the things that we try to do is when guys come in young, we try to figure out who has some of the things that you need to be a successful pitcher,” Clark said. “When you come into our practices, it’s not just varsity guys throwing bullpens, it’s younger guys. As the guys come up through (the program), they’re going to work and the coaches are working with them. We’re fortunate every year to have a handful of pitchers that we’re confident in going out there. There are a couple of pitchers that are going to take some time to develop until they’re called upon.”
What’s Next: Bellefonte takes on DuBois at home Monday at 4:30 p.m.
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 8:47 PM.
