Bell softball credits aggressive base-running for deep run

The L.D. Bell Lady Raiders enjoyed a good run this softball season. Literally.

The Lady Raiders (20-11) not only did well at getting on base this season, but capitalizing once they reached.

Entering their second-round playoff series against Keller, the Lady Raiders had a team on-base percentage of .420. They were led by Randi Castillo with a .571 percentage and Valerie Page at .495.

Though its season ended with a sweep by Keller Timber Creek, 6-4 and 5-1, Bell had its finest softball season since 2012, when it last advanced to the second round.

“We talked from Day 1 what style Bell softball uses to win games, and then we work all year to be good at it,” head coach Thomas Shives said.

Along with posting a team batting average of .342 through their first 30 games, the Lady Raiders had manufactured 92 walks, led by Peyton Newman with 15 and Hannah Duda and Kallie Erwin with 13 each. Also, nine of the 16 players on the roster have been hit by a pitch, led by Newman and Erwin with three times each.

Their aggressive style also resulted in reaching base 49 times on an error by the opposing defense. Page led in this category.

“When I started coaching softball, pitchers threw at 40 feet. Offensively, you either struck out 12 times a game, or you bunted to put the ball in play and made the defense work to get you out,” Shives said. “Since the pitching distance was moved back to 43 feet, it seems like almost everybody’s stopped bunting and stealing as much.

“But I still like that style. It puts pressure on the defense to be perfect. They have to field and throw as fast as they can to get the runner. It has to be flawless. Then you add in stealing bases, and now that’s a lot for defenses to have to deal with.”

Once on board, the Lady Raiders have been nothing short of prolific in stealing bases. Entering this past weekend they had 120 thefts and had only been caught six times.

Alicia Marion had a team-high 34 steals in 35 attempts, while Page was 28-for-29. Three others were in double-digit steals and were yet to be caught — Kelsi Wagner (12), Castillo (11) and Newman (10).

Largely as a result of the combination of reaching base and running the bases, the Lady Raiders had scored 210 runs through the first round of the playoffs. That’s an average of seven runs.

“Sometimes you can create runs when the other team has a dominating pitcher,” Shives said. “You need to be versatile with your attack. We attack and put pressure on defenses to make plays.”

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Bell softball credits aggressive base-running for deep run."