Lind strikes out 11 as Leps beat rival Rams

Connor Bergman and Kole Doppelheuer each added two RBIs in BVA’s 5-2 win.

Belle Vernon continued its perfect start to the 2025 season with a gritty 5-2 win over Section 2-4A rival Ringgold on Monday, improving to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in section play.

The Leopards, dominant in their first three wins with a combined score of 37-2, were pushed harder this time by a scrappy Rams team.

Despite committing two errors and collecting just five hits, Belle Vernon leaned on strong pitching and timely hitting to get the job done.

“I thought our pitching really kept us in the game,” said Belle Vernon head coach Tony Watson. “We got some timely hits when we needed them. We still have a lot to clean up defensively, but overall, I was proud with how they played today.”

Senior pitcher Parker Lind, who entered the game with 23 strikeouts in 10 innings, added to his impressive resume. He tossed a solid 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and just one run while striking out 11 batters without a walk.

“We didn’t want him to have to throw that many pitches, but he mixed his pitches up well, hit his spots and controlled the game,” Watson said. “His work ethic is why he is a D1 pitcher. He’s one of the hardest workers, on and off the field, and everything he does is centered around baseball, getting better, making his teammates better. That’s what he’s focused on.”

Ringgold, now 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the section, had its chances — especially early.

In the top of the second, Sam Allen singled and pinch-runner Amoni Ward was able to advance to third, but a base-running miscue at home ended the threat when a squeeze bunt went wrong, resulting in Ward being tagged out at home.

They finally broke through in the fourth inning, capitalizing on a pair of Belle Vernon defensive miscues to plate their first run, and added another in the sixth off an RBI single from Allen that scored Kameron Nash.

Still, the Rams left too many opportunities on the field, including bases loaded in the fifth with only one run to show for it.

“To be honest, I think we lost this one,” Ringgold head coach Jeff Lander said. “We didn’t play very solid defense. A couple situations defensively left us in situations where they were given more chances, and they stepped up with some key hits when they needed it. That was the difference in the game.”

Those key hits came in the bottom of the third and fourth innings for Belle Vernon. With two outs in the third and the game still scoreless, Lind drew a walk and Cole Matusik followed with another, setting the table for Connor Bergman.

A balk by Ringgold pitcher Anthony Koziel moved both runners into scoring position, and Bergman delivered with a two-run double into right-center to give the Leopards a 2-0 lead.

“That early balk, it was just a little flinch,” Lander said. “Some miscommunication by the catchers, Sam [Allen] was trying to give a sign, Anthony was already going to the stretch. It was a bummer, for sure.”

In the fourth, after Ringgold had trimmed the lead to 2-1, Belle Vernon responded with another two-run frame. A single by Chace Petrosky followed by a clutch hit from leadoff man Kole Doppelheuer drove in two runs, pushing the lead back to three.

Though Ringgold cut the deficit to 5-2 in the sixth on Allen’s RBI knock, they never seriously threatened again. Belle Vernon reliever Cole Matusik closed the game, and the Rams went down in order in the seventh.

Still, Lander took some positives away from the night.

“We had the same situation last week with Elizabeth Forward — faced a D1 pitcher the first game, couldn’t get anything going. We bounced back in game two, got a split, and that’s what we need here to stay in the hunt for the section.”

For Belle Vernon, the focus remains on consistency as they look to defend last year’s section title.

“These guys got a taste of winning last year, and it rubbed off on some of the younger guys,” Watson said. “A lot of kudos goes to the guys that graduated last year, who passed it down to this group. I think that as long as we stay the course, have good pitching and solid defense, we’ll be right where we want to be.”

The two teams are set to square off again Wednesday at Ringgold, where the Rams will look to bounce back and earn a split in the section series.