NEW HAVEN — Nearly 12 hours from dropping a 20-19 slugfest against Richland, Randis Sanders’ Belle Lady Tiger softball team was back on a softball field in the New Haven Softball Classic.

Staying on the winner’s side of the bracket. Belle made it to the third-place game against Montgomery County’s Lady Wildcats.

Plating two runs in the top of the first inning, Belle had the offense they needed before going on to claim third place at New Haven with a 4-1 victory.

“I’m proud of these girls for the way they fought through adversity throughout the day,” Sanders said. “We lost Miranda (Sanders) who injured her wrist in a collision with the fence in foul territory chasing a foul ball. Our girls stepped up their game and never gave up.”

As the visitors in the third-place game, Belle had the opportunity to score first.

Susie Moman led off with a single followed by another single off the bat of Cheyenne Struemph that moved Moman all the way to third base.

Natalie Gehlert then reached on a fielder’s choice with Moman out at the plate trying to score.

Helping her own cause from the clean-up spot, junior starting pitcher Gracie Rehmert doubled to center field scoring Struemph giving Belle a 1-0 lead.

That lead doubled to 2-0 when Gehlert scored on a dropped third strike.

Retiring the side in order in the bottom of the first inning, Rehmert helped the Lady Tigers take a 2-0 lead after one inning.

Still 2-0 following a scoreless second inning, Belle looked to add to their lead in the top of the third.

Struemph doubled to lead off the inning before taking third base on a wild pitch.

Back-to-back walks from Gehlert and Rehmert loaded the bases for Ryleigh Long.

In spite of hitting into a 1-2-3 double play, Gehlert scored increasing Belle’s lead to 3-0 moving to the bottom of the third inning.

Rehmert allowed two hits in the bottom of the third inning which turned into a run and a 3-1 lead for Belle moving into the fourth.

A two-out rally in the top of the fourth inning led to another run for the Lady Tigers.

Aryssa Chambers was hit by a pitch with two outs turning the line up over to the top of the order.

Moman singled to advance Chambers to second base before another Struemph single loaded the bases for Gehlert.

Battling through an eight-pitch at bat, Gehlert drew a bases-loaded RBI walk scoring Chambers for a 4-1 Belle lead.

Rehmert’s road to victory in the third-place game nearly hit a bump in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Two singles and a fielder’s choice brought the tying run to the plate with two outs.

However, Rehmert ended the game with a strikeout and Belle left New Haven with third-place medals after a five-inning win due to the tournament time limit rule.

Rehmert earned the complete-game victory allowing just one run on six hits along with one walk and five strikeouts.

Struemph paced the Lady Tiger offense with three hits and a run scored in addition to two hits from Moman.

Lady Tigers vs. Elsberry

Dispatching New Haven in first-round action, the only team standing between Belle and a spot in the New Haven Softball Classic championship game were Elsberry’s Lady Indians.

Taking an early 1-0 lead after one inning, an early afternoon thunderstorm over New Haven caused the tournament to be delayed for nearly an hour.

After that delay, Elsberry scored 13 unanswered runs handing Belle a 13-1 loss sending them to the third-place game.

Moman doubled and scored Belle’s lone run on a Rehmert RBI single.

Emma White and Johanna Roberds also had hits against the Lady Indians.

Lady Tigers vs. New Haven

Coming off a 20-19 home-opening loss to Richland, Belle looked to make that a distant memory opening the New Haven Softball Classic Saturday morning against the host Lady Shamrocks.

Leading 4-0 after two innings, Moman crushed a three-run home run over the left-center field fence for her first career high school softball home run.

“I’ve never hit a home run before and I thought it was going to be one of my usual outfield hits,” Moman said. “When I rounded first, I saw that the ball was on the other side of the fence and I did not expect that to happen.”

In spite of three runs from New Haven in the bottom of the third inning, Belle answered with three in the top of fifth inning of their 10-3 victory over the Lady Shamrocks.

Moman, Gehlert, Rehmert and Roberds each had two hits for Belle against New Haven.

Rained out last night (Tuesday), Belle’s next action will be Tuesday, Sept. 8 at Owensville in a Highway 28 showdown at 4:30 p.m.