Pitching leads Leopards to sweep of Rams

By JOSE NEGRON

jnegron@yourmvi.com

Each time Belle Vernon Area head coach Tony Watson pencils Matt Bamford’s name in the lineup as his starting pitcher, he likes his team’s chances to come away with a win. 

The first-year coach raves about Bamford’s ability to eat innings, pitch to contact and keep hitters guessing, all of which he has done through two starts this spring. 

The Belle Vernon Area right-hander put together yet another strong performance in leading the Leopards to a 6-1 victory over visiting Ringgold in the second game of a doubleheader at the John DiVirgilio Sports Complex in Rostraver Township Tuesday. 

Bamford allowed one earned run on six hits while walking one and striking out 10 for BVA (4-0, 4-0), which swept the pair of games from their cross-river rivals. 

“We’ve been waiting for this series for a while,” said Bamford, who fell one strikeout shy of his career high of 11. “I was excited to come out here and I was ready to go.

“I feel like I started out a little slow and my velocity was down a little bit, but as my teammates started to get me more runs, I settled in and felt like I was able to throw harder.”

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