April 15, 2009
Duluth News Tribune

Denfeld’s Bellamy takes mound for sixth season
By Rick Weegman

Duluth Denfeld played eight games decided by two runs or less last season, heightening pitcher Laura Bellamy’s importance — that’s if Bellamy could be any more important to the Hunters than she’s been for the past six years.

Minus their starting catcher and shortstop, the Hunters turn toward the senior a final time. That has coach Dick Swanson feeling a bit unsettled.

“My concern is that she’ll try to do too much and think she has to be perfect,” he said. “We have a freshman catcher [Kara Warren] and we’re going to use three or four different people at shortstop, so it’ll take us a while to figure things out. I hope she doesn’t think she needs to strike everybody out, because then it doesn’t seem to work.”

Bellamy, who will attend Harvard University on a hockey scholarship, was 11-9 with a 1.17 ERA, four shutouts and a 222-to-29 strikeouts-to-walks ratio in 2008. In addition, she batted .336 with 13 RBIs and 16 runs scored as the Hunters reached the Section 7AAA final four.

After throwing three perfect innings in Denfeld’s opener against Northwood, she struck out 15 in Tuesday’s win at Superior.