photo by: Kim North

Bridgeport first baseman Vanessa Zelkowski watches the ball into the glove for an out Saturday against Buckeye Local in Connorville. The Panthers defeated the visiting Bulldogs, 3-1.

CONNORVILLE – Hits were at a premium Saturday afternoon when Buckeye Local hosted Bridgeport in a mutual high school softball season-opener.

Both teams collected just two safeties, but the Panthers recorded both theirs – a double and triple – in the same inning (3rd) and bunched them with a walk and an error to score twice en route to a 3-1 victory over the Bulldogs.

“It was a well-played game by both teams,” Buckeye Local head coach Joe Soos said. “We hit the ball at times when we needed to hit the ball. We got a break and they didn’t. I was really pleased with our defense, especially the diving catch by Necia Hosenfeld for the game’s first out.”

Freshman Emma Vitek lined a leadoff triple to the fence in dead center and, with one out, raced home with the first run when Karlie Lander’s shot to third was too hot to handle. After courtesy runner Mya Fabry stole second, Addie Jones ripped a double to left-center that knocked in Jones for a 2-0 advantage.

That was enough for Lander as she retired 15 of the first 16 Bulldogs she faced – Hanna Brewer reached on an error in the fourth – before yielding a two-out infield single to Brewer.

Inside the circle, Lander struck out eight, walked just one and finished with a two-hitter as Hannah McKinley’s single in the seventh led to Bridgeport’s lone run. The junior righty needed just 81 pitches – 66 strikes – and jumped ahead in the count on 19 of the 25 batters she faced with a first-pitch strike.

“Karlie did an outstanding job out there. She really did,” Soos said of Lander who is beginning her third year as the Panthers’ starter. “She is a quality player and we’re going to lean on her a lot this season.”

Buckeye Local added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Bella Russell drove in pinch-runner Jordan Pleise with a sacrifice fly to left for a 3-0 lead.

The Bulldogs avoided being shutout as Vanessa Zelkowski’s groundout in the top of the seventh plated Addie Snodgrass.

As sharp as Lander was, Brewer was equally effective and probably deserved a better fate. The senior fanned a dozen, permitted the aforementioned two hits and issued a trio of free passes. She did, however, throw 105 pitches – 69 strikes – in her six innings of work.

“Hanna had 12 strikeouts. You can’t ask for much more than that,” Bridgeport head coach Hannah Boyer said. “Buckeye Local is a good team. They pitched well and their defense was solid. We just didn’t hit the ball today, and when we did, it was too late.”

Buckeye Local travels to Lisbon to face Beaver Local on Monday, while Bridgeport plays at Shadyside.