Meigs County ball player participates in Softball Nationals
Meigs County ball player participates in Softball Nationals
POMEROY, Ohio – One ball player from Meigs County played in the Softball Nationals recently in Mrytle Beach, South Carolina.
Isabella Runyon plays ball with her team mates from Christiansburg, Virginia on the Five Star Lady Mafia team. The team participated July 7-13 at the Softball Nationals in Myrtle Beach.
During the tournament Bella and the team faced elite competition from across the United States, and Mother Nature did not cut the teams any breaks with rainstorms and temperatures over 100 degrees.
Midway through the tournament Bella was surprised and honored to be selected as an All-Star and given an invitation to return later this year for the All-Americian Games.
“Being noticed at such a large event come as quite a surprise. I felt blessed and honored to be chosen and invited to the All-Americian games as a All-Star, I cant wait to go ball out,” Runyon said.
In the following game Bella was on the mound and was leading her team 2-1 in the third inning when she took a hard line drive to the face mask. The umpires instantly called timeout and ran to the mound. Though she assured them she was not injured, the umpires insisted on her seeing a sports trainer to examine her. They went to the dugout to be checked. They had to wait on a trainer to arrive at the field so the coaches were left with no other choice but to put in their other pitcher. The trainer arrived and cleared Bella to play, however the umpires would not permit her to return to the game. The team and the coaches watched helplessly as they lost their game, ending their bid for the championship.
Her mother says that from the time Bella was three years old she has had a love/hate relationship with softball. All that changed when her 10U coach approached her to pitch for the team. Finally finding her spot her passion grew into an obsession, she dedicated and sacrificed every free moment to hone her craft. Over her career she has played summer and fall ball locally and pitched and played for many notable organizations throughout Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia. Bella is busy on her off weekends helping teams in need of guest pitcher/players.
She attends at least two national tournaments a year, one for her team and then guest pitch for the upper age division. In the fall of 2019 the USSSA Fast Pitch Association and Softball Youth invited her to compete in their organization’s 2020 All-Americian Games, but due to conflicting locations and schedules it forced her to choose which event she would participate in, ultimately she decided to compete in the USSSA’s event.
She is the daughter of Penny and Jason Runyon, of Pomeroy, Ohio and the late James “Jamie” R. Glassburn of Bidwell, Ohio.
Bella attended Meigs Local through her seventh grade year before transitioning to River Valley Middle School. The last two years she has made her home at River Valley and made the Varsity softball team as a freshman. Bella is also active in the River Valley FFA. She plans on returning as a sophomore and continuing her education.
Bella is also a proud member of the Meigs Creek 4-H Club and show’s a commercial feeder and a market steer. Last year she won Reserve Champion on her project books and placed first or second in every class and in showmanship.
