Bellefonte baseball wins District 6 Class 4A title in 14-2 blowout of Juniata
It was “Trevor Time” on Tuesday afternoon.
Bellefonte’s Trevor Johnson blasted two home runs, including a 10-run rule-inducing home run in the fifth inning, to give Bellefonte a 14-2 victory over Juniata in the District 6 Class 4A championship game at Bald Eagle.
Johnson went 3-for-4 with his two blasts, drove in four runs and scored four runs of his own. He was locked into his comfort zone.
“It felt good,” Johnson said. “I was just looking for something that I could drive to all fields. I got something and didn’t miss it. That’s what matters. You can’t miss the good pitches — you’ve got to hit them.”
Joining Johnson as a multi-hit performer was Dominic Capperella. The junior first baseman was slotted into the eight hole in the lineup and produced at a high level, going 3-for-3 with three runs driven in and three runs scored.
“I feel like our lineup — 1-9 — is unconventional,” Capperella said. “We have our catcher leading off and that’s not really traditional or anything, but I know that all of us 1-9 can hit the ball hard. I know that hitting in the eight hole is probably not where most people want to hit, but that’s the job that my coach gives me and I play for the team and I do what I can to help the team win.”
Derek Fravel was the winning pitcher, going five innings, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out 10. Dawson Harper took the loss for Juniata, allowing five hits and five runs over two innings, striking out three and walking none.
Fravel found himself in a 2-2 tie, but his team’s ability to pull away in tight situations is something that he’s come to expect over the course of the season.
“Throughout the whole year, we’ve faced teams just like that (Juniata),” Fravel said. “They gave us a run for our money, but we’re just bulldogs. We just kept getting to it. It wasn’t our first rodeo, we just kept at it and it’s awesome.”
Johnson had a 2-2 count against Harper. With the understanding that he needed to open the door for the rest of his team, he lined a solo home run over the right field fence to give his team a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
Not to be outdone, third baseman Josh Brown was plunked by a pitch and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by second baseman Peyton Vancas. Capperella drilled a double down the right field line to drive in Brown for a 2-0 lead in the second.
Juniata came storming back in the top of the third inning. Catcher Seth Laub was walked by Fravel and was replaced on the base paths by Danny Freed at first base. Carson Kepner walked and Harper drove in the two runners to tie the game at 2-2.
Bellefonte would never look over its shoulder again, scoring seven runs in the third inning. Alexander Ebeling hit a solo homer and Triston Heckman tripled on a 3-2 count to score a run. The Red Raiders scored another run on an error, along with Capperella’s single on a 1-0 count to plate two runs. Levi Purnell knocked in a run on a sac fly and Bellefonte scored on another error to lead 9-2 at the end of the third.
Even with a sizable lead heading into the fourth inning, head coach Jon Clark wasn’t satisfied. His team often swung at the first pitch, not settling into their at-bats. He wanted more from his best hitters.
“We have guys that hit the ball,” Clark said. “They know they can hit, we know they can hit when they see the right pitches. In a game where you’re seeing some success offensively, guys started getting antsy up there and when you change pitchers, there’s something about seeing a pitch or two and getting the timing right because the pitcher’s different.
“I was just talking to them and during that inning, our three outs came from guys that swung at the first pitch and all three popped it up. Those are things that we just work on in practice. They’re excited.”
Clark received more.
Bellefonte racked up five more runs to end the game early and solidified its spot in the PIAA Class 4A state playoffs.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 11:25 PM.
