The Bells outlast Pioneer 3-1 thanks to lights out pitching and two long ball sightings.
SAN JOSE, CA – America’s pastime is back on the Bellarmine campus and the Bells (3-1-1) are off to a great start to the 2023 season. Bellarmine has dominated in its three wins this season, including an 18-2 rout over Bear Creek on 3/1, and the boys in blue had no plans of slowing down at home against Pioneer.
Paul Montgomery ’23 took the mound for the Bells and did not disappoint. Despite a rocky start in the the 1st inning, where Pioneer scored their first and only run after an error and a walk to load the bases, Montgomery put the game in cruise control from there on out. “Monty” pitched six PERFECT innings to finish the game, none more impressive than the 5th in which he struck out the side.
“Throw him a chair,” said the Bellarmine dugout six times over the course of the 7-inning game.
The senior threw a complete game, tallying 6 K’s and just 1BB on 81 pitches (0.043 ERA). Pioneer couldn’t touch him.
In the bottom of the 3rd inning, down 1-0, despite a slow start themselves, the Bells’ bats finally came to life. After a 1st inning single to centerfield and a soon-to-be 1.000 OBP game, Chase Knight ’23 beat out an infield single in the 3rd to reach base for the Bells’ 3-hole Thomas Trombatore ’23. On cue, Trombatore muscled an outside pitch over the left field wall and onto the track to put the Bells up 2-1, notching his 3rd moonshot already this season.
In the top of the 4th inning, the Bellarmine defense, led by Chase Knight, flashed its leather behind Montgomery’s pitching. Knight was responsible for all three groundouts in the 4th, two of which involved on-the-run throws off one foot, and the other being a deep backhand across the diamond.
In the bottom of the 6th inning, with one last chance to add insurance for Montgomery, Chris Rudell ’23 launched a 2-out missile over the left field wall to extend the Bells’ lead to 3-1.
In spite of two baserunning blunders and a defensive error, Bellarmine wound up victorious in the end.
Ultimately, thanks to stellar defense, pristine pitching, and the ole reliable long ball, the Bells held off Pioneer at home and improved to 4-1-1 on the season.
Wyatt Bose is the Sports Editor and a staff writer for The Bell Online. Check out his sports blog: thecogentcolumn.com.
