It isn’t often a writer gets a chance to double-down on a column, but perfection in sports demands that kind of attention.

Any seam head, whether it’s softball or baseball, knows the importance of a perfect game. It’s rarer than most accomplishments in sports, other than maybe a 21-pitch at-bat. (It just happened in the bigs. Check it out.)

All joking aside, Warrior Run’s Madi Waltman was back at it again as the Defenders traveled to South Williamsport for a battle of unbeaten teams. Warrior Run entered with a perfect 7-0 record, while South Williamsport was just as sharp with a record of 6-0.

It was one of the more prominent games of this young season, and Waltman continued her pace by posting up a perfect game against the Mountaineers. She was outstanding from the jump, fanning 12 batters and receiving multiple clutch stops at first to preserve the perfect game and give Warrior Run a 10-0 win over South Williamsport.

“I knew I was throwing well and I just wanted to keep it loose,” Waltman said. “I just made sure that I was hitting my spots as best I could. If I didn’t, I knew I could count on my defense. I was always just relying on my defense.”

No one player on defense shined brighter than Amber Pentycofe, who stopped three really hard hit balls at first base. In the second inning, a sharply hit line drive was stopped right in front of the base as Pentycofe fell to her knees to make the play. She quickly tagged first and Waltman ended the inning with a strikeout to remain perfect through two innings.

Pentycofe was called upon in the fourth and sixth innings again as South Williamsport’s offense drove what it could hit down the right-field line. In both instances, Pentycofe was there to make the play and keep the perfect game going.

“I had to just settle in there and think about what the play is,” Pentycofe said. “Madi has been doing amazing.”

Outside of Pentycofe’s plays and a nifty snag in centerfield, Waltman earned most of the outs herself. She fanned 12 batters in the game. That run included two 1-2-3 innings in which all the outs came via strikeout.

Walt opened with strikes against 10 of the 18 batters she faced. Eight of those at-bats ended with strikeouts. She was just that good. She even had a string of four consecutive strikeouts twice in the game.

“It’s really nice being here as a coach,” Warrior Run coach Garth Watson said. “Waltman has worked really hard in the offseason. She grew a bit and worked hard to improve velocity. She’s hitting spots now. When you have a pitcher that can throw four or five pitches well it makes you tough.”
As Waltman dominated South Williamsport en route to a perfect game, the offense stepped up to score ten runs and end the contest early in six innings.

The Defenders had five different players finish with multiple hits. Pentycofe posted three singles with two RBIs, but no single player made the offense move more than Gina Beyer, who recently collected her 100th career hit.

“I was so happy for her,” Waltman said of Beyer’s 100th hit. “She is nothing but nice to everyone. She is just such a good team player. She always tries her hardest, and it’s so great. I was so happy for her.”

Waltman was even happier with Beyer as she opened up the game against South Williamsport with a single. Beyer moved around the bases and scored the first run of the game.

Beyer went on to finish the game with three singles, three runs scored, and an RBI to help Waltman record the first perfect game in the Defenders’ season.

“It’s extremely important, and Gina has been hitting so well lately,” Waltman said. “I just knew when she stepped in that box she would hit the ball as hard as she can. That’s big for us because when we get on base, that means there’s a runner on base and we can score runs.”

Scoring runs, stopping the opposition, whether it’s Waltman or outstanding defense, and hitting the cover off the ball it has all been trademarks of the Defenders season. And it shows no signs of slowing.