By HUNTER O. LYLE
BRADFORD, PA – Squaring off one of the most prominent teams in the Keystone State, the Bradford softball team’s bend-don’t-break hold out against DuBois Central Catholic lasted for six frames before miscues and errors in the seventh gave way to a 13-0 defeat.
Through ten games, the Lady Cardinals have been prolific. With their offense typically firing on all cylinders for an average of over five runs in the first two frames and a wide 106-21 margin of victory, their bats were infamous. With that in mind, the Lady Owls led with their defensive foot first.
Despite allowing two runners on in their first three batters, Bradford salvaged the inaugural inning with a strikeout from Daisy Greene and two made plays at the infield, leaving a pair of Lady Cardinals stranded. In the top of the second, they doubled-down, retiring DCC in three with an identical approach.
“Our defense has been solid all year. I know that our defense can carry us through games,” said Bradford head coach Katie Greene. “I feel confident going into every game that defensively we’ll be able to hold our own.”
However, the only thing that was to be respected, if not feared, more than DCC’s bats, was their lady in the circle. Donning experience in the form of three consecutive years of over 140-strikeouts – she currently sits at 147 mid-way through her senior season – as well as a full-ride to Kent State, Rylee Kulbatsky’s arm speed was untouchable. Continuously sending missiles downrange, Bradford was constantly outpaced at the plate. Besides a full-count single from Alexis Kicior in the bottom of the first, the Lady Owls were blanked, racking up nine Ks through three frames.
“(Kulbatsky) is a fantastic pitcher,” said Katie Greene. “We just couldn’t get the bat on the ball and couldn’t get going offensively.”
Meanwhile, Bradford’s embargo around the diamond eventually faltered in the third. Seeing two Lady Cardinals pick up real estate on base with a single and fielding error, DCC brought in the first pair of runs of the afternoon with a double to the left field wall from Kulbatsky. Although the Lady Owls shut off the valve from there, they would see their deficit grow to three in the top of the fifth, when another error scored Lily Sachs.
As Bradford continued to stare down the speedometer in the batters’ box, they would find just one more hit through the next four frames. Bella Zandy notched the team’s second hit of the afternoon, but otherwise, the Lady Owls just couldn’t find contact against Kulbatsky. However, their defense was keeping DCC largely in check. But just before the finish line, they slipped.
After finding the first out on the Lady Cardinals’ lead-off batter, Bradford gave up three consecutive singles, the last of which drove in the fourth run against them. Back-to-back errors then let in another while also loading the bases, priming DCC for a late push.
Despite tallying their second out, the next five Lady Cardinals put the ball in play, scoring runs in bunches by way of well-placed hits or Lady Owls errors. After six relatively close frames, Bradford swiftly found themselves on the wrong side of a blowout.
The turmoil continued to the tune of a 10-run seventh inning, before Bradford finally collected the third out on a pop fly. Looking up from a sudden hole, the Lady Owls’ issues at the plate ended the day as Kulbatsky collected her 801st and 802nd career strikeouts to finalize the defeat.
Kicior and Zandy both ended 1-for-3 at the plate, while Daisey Greene finished with five strikeouts in the circle.
“The takeaway is that (DCC) is an unbelievable team and that’s the team we strive to be,” said Katie Greene. “That’s what we need to improve to be. You look at that, give them all the credit in the world, and use it to grow on and set you sights on.”
AT BRADFORD
DuBois Central 002 010 (10) R:13 H:14 E:1
Bradford 000 000 0 R:0 H:2 E:8
DuBois Central: Kulbatsky (18 SO, 0 BB) and Myers
Bradford: Greene (5 SO, 0 BB) and Sipko
