Heckman’s double sparks Bellefonte in win over PO

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: May 10, 2021

Photos by Tim Weight
By Kenny Varner

BELLEFONTE – Bellefonte batter Triston Heckman provided the spark his team needed as he doubled then reached third, setting the stage for teammate Bobby Marsh in the fifth.

Marsh singled home Heckman, giving the Red Raiders a 1-0 lead.

That would all pitcher Derek Fravel would need as he shut down the Philipsburg-Osceola offense the rest of the way, taking a senior night victory, 1-0.

Fravel and Seth Shuey combined to throw a 3-hit shut out of the Mounties.

In just four innings on the mound, Fravel notched six strikeouts and just one hit.

Shuey was just as successful striking out two and allowed two hits.

Philipsburg-Osceola pitcher Ryan Whitehead had a strong game as well as he went 6 2/3 innings scattering five hits and giving up just one run.

Leading the offense for Bellefonte were Marsh (1B, RBI), Heckman (double,Run), Nic Capperelle (1B), Shuey (1B), Max Rogers (1B), David McAndrew (1B).

Jeremy Whitehead, Caleb Pellerite and Colby Hahn all picked up hits for the Mounties in the contest.

“They were solid out there today. We’ve been really working trying to get ahead in the counts. It’s been something that’s been a struggle for us of late. Those guys know how to do it,” said Bellefonte coach Jon Clark. “Derek and Seth have the right approach and they know how to do it. It’s been a weird year. We were trucking along and then Covid pushed us abd then the weather paused us. This was only our fourth game in three weeks. We have a long week and we told our pitchers ‘you have to be effeciant because after today we have four more.”

In the first inning, Shuey only had one base runner.

Nate Gustkey reached on an error and got as far as second before the Bellefonte defense sent the Mounties down.

In the bottom of the inning, Whitehead allowed two runners on base when Fravel was hit by a pitch and Shuey singled.

But Whitehead finished the inning with a strike out.

Philipsburg-Osceola picked up its first hit of the game when Colby Hahn roped a shot into shallow left field.

But that would be all the Mounties mount in the inning.

With one out, David McAndrew singled but was left stranded as the game headed into the third.

Jeremy Whitehead put his name in the scorebook with a single as well notching the team’s only hit of the inning.

Bellefonte also picked up a hit by Max Rogers in the fourth.

But the action happened for the Red Raiders in the bottom of fifth.

Heckman blasted a liner down the right field line and hustled to second on a stand up double and then he ran to third on a miscue on the throw from the outfield.

Standing on third, Marsh stood in and also blasted an RBI single to plate the game’s only run of the evening.

Fravel shut things down from there allowing just a seventh inning hit by Pellerite.

Tommorrow, the Red Raiders will face rival Bellefonte in another home game.

Bellefonte 1, Philipsburg-Osceola 0

PO 000 000 0 – 0 3 2

BE 000 010 x – 1 6 1

WP: Derek Fravel (BE)

LP: Ryan Whitehead (PO)

Multiple hitters: None.

HR: None

3B: None

2B: PO- Jeremy Whitehead. BE – Tristen Eckley