Lady Raiders first N-O League softball championship season was just perfect

Contributed Photo – Members of Barker’s 2003 Niagara-Orleans League championship softball team include, in front, Holly Bigelow, Alicia Kenyon, Alana Heilman, Melissa Moore and Kelley Meahl. In the second row are Sara Lewis, Jennifer Mason, Andrea Walter and Missy Flint. In the back row are Coach Bridget Beilein, Carly Pavlock, Kristi Brown, Virginia LaJoie, Samantha Clark and Coach George Teague.

Compiling a perfect 14-0 record, Barker captured its first Niagara-Orleans League softball championship in 2003.

A late season doubleheader sweep of runner-up Starpoint by scores of 6-3 and 5-1 clinched the title for the Lady Raiders.

Trailing 3-0, Barker erupted for five runs in the home half of the first inning to take the lead for good in game one.  Five straight hits on singles by Sarah Lewis, winning pitcher Missy Flint, Alana Heilman, Carly Pavlock and a triple by Sarah Roth keyed that decisive uprising.

In the second game the Lady Raiders scored three times in the seventh on a single by Roth and two errors to break open a tight 2-1 contest and lock up the win and the title.

Flint picked up both wins in the circle allowing seven hits with four strikeouts in the opener and three hits with eight strikeouts in the second contest.

The Lady Raiders then completed a 14-0 N-O title campaign with  narrow 7-6 win over Newfane.

Barker rallied for three runs in the seventh inning to claim the slender win. A two-run double by Andrea Walter tied the game and Lewis followed up with an RBI single to plate the game winner.

In the circle, Melissa Moore pitched a six hitter with 10 strikeouts for the Lady Raiders.

Flint, Heilman and Roth all earned first team N-O All-League honors. Pavlock and Kristi Brown both earned second team honors while Walter, Lewis and Alicia Kenyon all earned Honorable Mention.

Keeping the momentum, Barker then scored Section VI Class C playoff wins over Gowanda (7-0) and Westfield (3-1) before being downed by Falconer 3-0 in the semifinals.

Flint, who earned first team All-Western New York honors, hurled a two hitter with 14 strikeouts against Gowanda and a three hitter with 13 strikeouts against Westfield. Pavlock had a key two-run single in the third inning to key the Lady Raiders offense against Westfield.