Bellamy breaks home run mark

By Dave Faries, Editor
Posted 10/11/21

Abby Bellamy's name stands alone at the top.

With two on in the second inning, Bellamy hammered a drive over the center field fence at Green Park for her ninth round-tripper of the year. The …

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Bellamy breaks home run mark

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Abby Bellamy's name stands alone at the top.

With two on in the second inning, Bellamy hammered a drive over the center field fence at Green Park for her ninth round-tripper of the year. The blast set a new Mexico single season home run record.

"As soon as I hit it I knew it was gone," Bellamy said. "I finally broke it."

She fell one shy of the mark a year ago, joining Abby Oetting, Patience Holman and Logan Blevins, who shared the title at eight. Two days earlier, on the softball field, Bellamy had socked a pair of homers to again come within one of the record.

Her teammates rushed from the dugout to greet her at the plate. In the raucous celebration, Lexie Willer and Kierstan Epperson slipped a t-shirt over her jersey dubbing Bellamy the Home Run Queen.

"The first thing I did was run and get the shirt. I didn't see the ball go over," Willer said. "We knew she'd get it on this field."

The long ball put the Bulldogs on top of Hannibal 5-1 on their way to a 13-3 pasting of the Pirates.

Mexico put runs on the board in every inning, plating four each in the second and fourth and two in the first.

The Bulldogs set the tone right off the bat. Riley Thurman cracked a long single to left. Bellamy then ripped a double to the gap in right center, scoring Thurman.

Jordyn Thurman belted a fly to deep center that would have cleared the fence had Hannibal's Alana Pfeifer not intervened.

Bellamy advanced to third on the play and came home on a hard grounder by Epperson.

Hannibal's Chloe Sims had doubled and scored in the top half of the inning, so the Bulldogs entered the second up 2-1. It would be 6-1 after two.

Following Bellamy's record breaker, Jordyn Thurman singled, stole second and reached third on a base hit by Epperson. A sacrifice fly by Taylor DeMint brought her home.

After grounding out in the first, Willer went on a tear. She singled to right center in the third and was driven in by Madeline Williams.

In the fourth, Willer was part of another four run romp. She singled to send DeMint home. Stole her second base of the game and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ruby Haefling. Epperson and Williams also added runs.

Willer ended up 3 for 4 on the evening.

"I've been in a slump lately," she said. "I was focused today."

Meanwhile Jordyn Thurman was pitching efficiently and effectively. She scattered four hits and walked two, throwing first pitch strikes and forcing Pirates hitters to react.

Thurman downplayed the importance of the strikeout.

"The defense is a big factor," she explained. "I know they'll be behind me. I trust them to make plays."

Jordyn Thurman also had a solid outing at the plate, going 2 for 4 with 2 runs. Epperson was 3 for 4 with 2 RBI.

Bellamy, of course, had a big night. She was 2 for 3 with 2 runs and 4 RBI. Both hits went for extra bases.

But it was the second inning shot that will be remembered in the record books.

Haefling and Williams had been hit by pitches and engineered a double steal. They stood on second and third with one out when Bellamy stepped to the plate.

At first she looked to be in trouble. Hannibal hurler Alyssa Hart put her in the hole, 0 and 2.

But Bellamy waited out a couple of waste pitches and worked the count full.

"I was tempted to swing at a lot of that low stuff," she admitted. "That's my pitch."

Instead, she was patient and finally got a pitch to hit -- in a big way.

"I'm happy," Bellamy said. "I don't have to stress about it anymore."


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