Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Juniata Valley courtesy runner Hailie Isenberg scores behind West Branch catcher Lindsey Bainey on an error.

ALEXANDRIA — Juniata Valley’s Bethany Devore was one of the team’s best hitters a year ago when the Lady Hornets made an appearance in the PIAA Class 1A Tournament. She was also the team’s second pitcher where she made eight appearances in the pitcher’s circle.

Devore will be the team’s No. 1 pitcher now that ace pitcher Braelyn Hall is out for the time being. The senior made the most of her time on a cold, blustery Tuesday afternoon, tossing a one-hitter and going 4 for 4 at the plate in Juniata Valley’s 15-1 win in five innings over West Branch.

“Obviously I’m cold, but I’m glad our team really got ahead of that and kept fighting with these undesirable circumstances,” Devore said. “I feel really proud of the work I’ve put in to be able to go out here and do that.”

“West Branch is a really good team, and they usually are,” Juniata Valley coach Robbie Hall said. “Every year it seems like they’re a solid team. For her to go out and give up one run and one hit, that’s huge. She did a fantastic job.

“(Braelyn Hall’s injury) is unfortunate, but the team understands we have to keep moving. Bethany stepped right in the circle and did the job tonight.”

Devore allowed a first-inning single to West Branch’s Lindsey Bainey, and a run scored later in the inning on a groundout, but that was all the offense the Lady Warriors could gather. West Branch had four reach base on walks, and three more were hit by pitches.

“Juniata Valley is a great team, and we knew that coming in,” West Branch coach Tim Wesesky said. “We prepared for a different pitcher than what we got, but we have to make the adjustments to overcome that and we just didn’t do it. Too many errors on defense, and we just didn’t hit the ball like we normally do.

“We just didn’t play well today. I don’t know if it was the cold weather or what. We need to learn how to deal with adversity.”

While West Branch was being held at the plate by Devore and the Juniata Valley defense that played a clean game with no errors, the offense was going to work in almost every inning.

It started with a three-run bottom of the first with an RBI double from Klohie Brown, while Lexi Smith drove in another run on a sacrifice fly.

Juniata Valley really broke the game open with eight runs in the bottom of the second, with the big hit coming on a grand slam from Riley Mease for her second home run of the season. The Lady Hornets had an 11-1 lead after two innings.

Juniata Valley scored four more runs in the bottom of the fourth and finished with 13 hits for the game, but the stat that coach Hall was most satisfied with was no strikeouts for the team. Valley went down on strikes seven times in its lone loss of the season against Southern Huntingdon.

“We kind of fell flat for a few innings in the box (against Southern),” Coach Hall said. “Today they didn’t give up in the box. I don’t know how many times we had two strikes on us and we managed to do something with the ball. We were a little more decisive and selective today.”

Juniata Valley is back in action on Thursday at Curwensville.

SCORE BY INNINGS

West Branch 100 00X X– 1 1 5

Juniata Valley 380 4XX X–15 13 0

E–Nelson, Manahan 2, Woodling, Sabol. 2B–Brown (JV), G. Smith (JV). HR–Mease (JV). RBI–Woodling (WB); B. Devore (JV), Ersak (JV), Brown 2 (JV), L. Smith (JV), Mease 4 (JV), Sager 2 (JV). Multiple hits–B. Devore 4 (JV), Mease 2 (JV), G. Smith 3 (JV). WP–B. Devore. LP–Eyerly. SO–B. Devore 6. BB–Eyerly 1 (WB), Nelson (WB) 1, B. Devore (JV) 4.

Records: West Branch (3-1); Juniata Valley (3-1).