Bettura's masterpiece has Cards in Elite Eight

By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AKRON -- It was a fitting tribute for pitcher Tricia Bettura that she made the final defensive stop of the game on a sharp grounder hit back to the mound.
The Canfield High sophomore left-hander then made the throw to first baseman Bryanne Halfhill for the final out to complete her masterpiece over Mentor.
Bettura's great defensive stop preserved her no-hitter with 10 strikeouts and no walks that carried the Cardinals to an 8-0 victory in a Division I regional game Thursday at Lee Jackson Softball Field at the University of Akron.
"I didn't know that I had a no-hitter. I never know if I am throwing a no-hitter," said Bettura, who bested Ashley Thomas (14-4) and allowed only two runners to reach base on hit-by-pitches, one of them erased by a double play.
Bettura faced only 22 batters -- just one over the minimum -- and was backed by a 14-hit attack and flawless, no-error defensive play as Canfield (23-3) advanced to Saturday's regional championship game against North Canton Hoover (25-2) at the same Akron site.
The winner will earn a berth in a state semifinal game at Ashland on June 1.
Laurens deliver
Lauren Sulick's two-run single in the first inning and Lauren McGivern's two-run, fence-clearing home run in the second inning staked the Cardinals to a 4-0 lead, giving Bettura the early support she needed to pitch her second straight no-hit game.
The Cardinals added two more runs in the fifth on Jena Ervin's infield single and Ashley Bleggi's sacrifice fly. Canfield scored their final two runs in the sixth on singles by Brittany Danilov and Halfhill.
Ervin finished with a double, single and one RBI while Halfhill added two singles and one RBI and Rachel Melewski three singles.
Bettura faced 22 batters only one other time this year.
Mound blessing
Canfield coach Ronie Haurin said that having Bettura and other pitching ace Sulick (11-2), who will go to the mound Saturday, has been a blessing.
"All season long they have been sharing duties," Canfield's first-year coach said. "It's good that we have two good pitchers in a rotation, a strong lefty and righty. They share duties and their focus is on the team.
"That's why our kids do a good job. They stay focused," Haurin said. "Our pitchers have made a difference. We have had seven or eight no-hitters."
Bettura gave catcher Ervin a lot of credit for her performance.
"[Ervin] talks to me all the time and she encourages me," Bettura said.
Haurin said Ervin calls the pitches "but [Bettura] can always shake them off."
Good offense, defense
But the coach said that Canfield's offense and defense may be the biggest factors in the team's success.
"We've got hitting all the way down the line," Haurin said. "I can put any of my kids at the top of the lineup.
"Our defense was awesome. That's what it's all about."
Coach Tom Horvath of Mentor (22-7) said Bettura was only the second southpaw that his team has faced this year.
"We have seen a lefty in only a half-game this year," said Horvath, indicating that may have been a contributing factor in the outcome.
Also, "We played four days in a row, including two tourney games. It was a little bit of a factor."
But he conceded Bettura was excellent.
"She had speed and control, excellent control," Horvath said. "She was hitting the outside corner but she was moving the ball inside against us and all around. She was hitting her spots very well.
"And she had an excellent defense behind her. And she played good defense, too."
Horvath pointed out that "this was the first no-hitter against us. There was only one shutout against us [this year]."
kovach@vindy.com