HITTING THEIR STRIDE: Karns City Gets Gem in the Circle By Addison Burrows to Down Redbank Valley, 4-1

KARNS CITY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Addison Burrows has learned to trust in herself.

Earlier in the season, that wasn’t always the case for the junior pitcher on the Karns City softball team. When the doubts crept in, her pitches crept out of the strike zone.

And got her in a lot of trouble.

Recently, though, Burrows has put more faith in her abilities and the teammates around her.

It has made a big difference.

(Pictured above, Addison Burrows)

Burrows was sharp again on Tuesday night against a deep and dangerous Redbank Valley lineup. She scattered nine hits over seven innings, giving up just one unearned run while striking out five and most impressively walking no one in a 4-1 win for the Gremlins over the Bulldogs.

“I lack confidence a lot,” Burrows said. “It’s something that I’ve been working on and I’ve gotten a lot better with it. I think that’s what’s been the difference, the big leap in confidence.”

Burrows has emerged as the ace of the staff and has pitched like it in recent weeks.

She got Redbank Valley hitters to pop up or hit lazy fly balls to the outfield. She also received solid defense behind her when the Bulldogs did barrel her up.

“Trusting yourself and trusting your defense makes the game so much more relaxing,” Burrows said, smiling. “It’s so much more enjoyable.”

It was enjoyable for Karns City to win a game like this, instead of slugfest after slugfest as has been the trend this season.

It was the first time this year the Gremlins (10-5) won a game while scoring fewer than nine runs.

“That shows the courage and the determination not to quit,” said Karns City coach Mike Stitt. “You have to play every hit, every strike, every out. You just have to keep going. It was nice to see just one error. It looked pretty good today.”

And so did Burrows, who has struggled with consistency this season. She was at her best against Redbank Valley after a couple of uneven performances.

The arrow has definitely been pointing up for the right-hander, however.

“She’s started to show maturity,” Stitt said. “What we talk about all the time is her maturity. She’s grown from last year to this year. With (assistant coach Mike Graziolli) calling her pitches, she has trust in him, and you see this kind of success when there is trust between a pitching coach and the pitchers. That’s what’s been happening.”

The win broke a two-game losing streak for Karns City — two tough setbacks against Cranberry, 9-8, District 7’s Knoch, 11-9.

The showdown with Redbank was a key one for both teams with the regular season waning and the postseason on the horizon.

“It’s a good feeling because we all wanted this game really badly,” Burrows said. “We needed a win and everybody was hungry for a win. We’re all learning to trust each other more. I noticed a lot more communication in the field. I noticed a lot more talking. Everyone’s coming together and we’re gelling perfectly.”

Karns City took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning against Redbank pitcher Mackenzie Foringer.

Nicole Huff led off with a double and scored on a single by Emily Sherman. Pinch runner Ronni Radaker then scored on a throwing error later in the frame.

Redbank Valley (9-7) cut into the lead with a run in the top of the third on a RBI double by Foringer.

Karns City tacked on another run in the bottom of the third on a RBI single by Nicole Taylor and then added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on an error.

Lyrik Reed had a triple for Karns City and Jada Polczynski and Huff each had a pair of hits.

For Redbank Valley, things are still trending up after a 1-5 start — the second year in a row the Bulldogs have started slowly and gone on a run at the end of the season.

“We were 1-6 last year and 1-5 this year before we started playing better,” said Redbank Valley coach Lee Miller. “I told the girls I wish we could start a season the way we end it, but I’d rather play better at the end and carry that momentum into the playoffs.”

Foringer pitched well against a stout Karns City lineup in the loss. She went all six, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits and striking out three.

Sammi Bowser also had a double and Foringer a triple for the Bulldogs.

“We told the girls we’re going into this like it’s a playoff game because we knew the competition was there,” Miller said. “We held right with them. It was definitely our lowest output in runs, but (Burrows) pitches well and their defense played great behind her. That centerfielder (Polczynski) made a bunch of good plays.

“We did a good job holding that team to four runs,” Miller added. “We have some big stick that are struggling right now. We get them back and going and we’ll be right back to where we want to be.”