18 & Under Sellersville Belles Gold

to play softball in the fall of 2008 for the Crimson Hawks of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  Jessie has worked hard to come back from her ACL injury of last winter.  There was an early interest on the part of IUP and when all things were weighed, IUP won James.  Jessie will work behind the plate.

 Jessie is the 4th Sellersville Belle to commit to IUP, following Hilary Tutrani, Caroline Oakley, and Dee Eppinger.  Looks like the start of a good thing.

Good luck Jessie, and GOOOOO Hawks!!!

as their annual community service project.  Organized by George Bednar, the Sellersville Belles collected items at the 11th Annual Fall Classic and then delivered them to The Ronald MacDonald House in Philadelphia on Saturday, November 10th.  The donations will be used by families of children who stay at the RMH while the children are being treated at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.  Families stay at the RMH for a nominal fee each night.  this helps families reduce their expenses when they must stay for treatments for a prolonged period of time.

 Upon arrival, the Belles unloaded the donations into a large conference/meeting room.  They were then given a history of the Ronald MacDonald House, its founding, and its present day operation.  After that the girls got a tour of the facility which included seeing a room; the large dining area and commmunity kitchen;  one of the family TV viewing areas; the game room and exercise area; a play and craft area; and finally the open courtyard at the front entrance to the house.  It was an informative day as well as a time to reflect on the many blessings we have by having good health, as well as, fine facilities to take care of families when they are in need.  It was a day that every Belle will not soon forget.

 After the tour, it was lunch time.  so how can you go to Philly and not get a cheesesteak.  The Belles all stopped by Jim's Steaks on South Street for a cheesesteak and further time together.  The Belles will now take time away from practices and spend time with friends and family over the upcoming holiday seasons.

the 11th Annual Fall Classic by defeating the Maryland Heartbreakers 6-1 in the tournament finals.  After the rains of Friday, and the usual fantastic job of water removal on Saturday, the 11th Annual Fall Classic for 18U teams went off with out a hitch.  This year as a "thank you" to the participants, bracket champions were named for the 4 6 team pools and then the four bracket champions played off in a single elimination tournament.  The other two champions were Dukes Diamonds and the Lehigh Valley Wildcats.  All bracket champions received medals to mark the weekend accomplishment.

The Sellersville Belles compiled a record of 6-1 for the weekend.  The only loss the locals suffered was at the hands of the Abington Angels; a 1-0 win for the Angels in which the Belles were held to just two hits over seven innings.  The Angels played error free softball and got timely hitting to notch the single run and eventually the victory.  In five of the six games that the Belles won they actually came from behind to win.  "You really find out what you are made of when you have to come from behind," said Belles Head Coach Paul Koehler.  "We have an offense that can be pretty explosive, it just takes a spark, and then watch out!"

 The final game was the best game that the Belles have played all fall.  There was outstanding defense and the offense used both the short game and the power game to score runs.  Alex MacLean was unwavering in her performance in the pitching circle.  Leading 4-1 in the 4th, the Heartbreakers lead off with a triple and threatened to make the game a tight one.  Alex kept throwing "ground balls" and a strike out and the Belles failed to yield a run.  The offensive explosion of the evening came off the bat of Heather Hannum who ripped a line drive that hit the bottom of the leftfield fence(265') for a 2 run homerun.  The homerun was Heather's third of the day, having launched two in the semi-final contest against the Lehigh Valley Wildcats.  Brittany Schlorff showed her defensive abilities as she made every play at short.  Morgan Karpac, was like a wall behind the plate. 

 For the weekend the Belles hit .346 as a team and an ERA of 1.53.  Heather Hannum hit .650 for the weekend and pitcher Hope Spancake notched a 0.00 ERA in 15 innings of work. 

The Belles will finish their fall season in two weeks at the TNT Last Look Showcase Tournament in Doylestown.  Keep your eyes on our schedule/calendar for the times and places of our games.

Yes, Christine "Beddy" Bednar has given a verbal committment to Head Coach Terri Adams of the St. Joseph's University Hawks softball team that she will attend and play softball for her in the fall of 2008!  Beddy has worked very hard since joining the Sellersville Belles in 2006 to reach this milestone.  All Belles, both past and present are very happy and excited for Christine. 

 

Christine will join St. Joe's to play either right or left field.  Coach Adams is looking for her power hitting bat to make an immediate impact as she steps her game up to the next level.  Bednar was being courted by UMBC also and most heavily by Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  Christine chose St. Joe's primarily for the strong program it has in the major in which she is most interested.

 

Good luck Christine - and GOOOO Hawks!!!

Beth Everist takes her power pitching and strong "stick" to "The Mount."  Although Beth missed her final season as a Belles due to her broken leg, Coach Larry Alvis had seen enough of Beth in the fall of 2006 to know that she would be an impact player for him at "The Mount."  Beth "speaks softly and carries a big stick."