March 25, 2002

The Bluffton College softball team traveled to Lexington, Ky. on Saturday and was dealt two losses by Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference leader Transylvania University. The games were BC's first action after a 10-day layoff and snapped the Beaver's two-game winning streak.

Weather permitting, Bluffton will host Heidelberg College on Wed. for a 3 p.m. double-header at Marbeck Field before hitting the road for three double-headers next week.

Sophomore Amber Fitzwater and junior Melissa Alexander each cranked a double in the first game against Transylvania and junior Missy Neal added a single, but TU kept Bluffton off the scoreboard to claim a 5-0 win. Senior pitcher Emily Kurtz struck out four hitters in six innings and took the loss.

In the second game, the Pioneers erupted for eight runs in their first at bat before the Bluffton defense tightened to hold Transy without a run for the rest of the game. The Beaver offense, however, was held without a hit until the fifth inning and was held in check as TU held on for an 8-0 win.

Freshman Janeen Arps produced the lone BC hit in the game with a single in the fifth inning. Junior Stacy Herr pitched the first three innings for Bluffton and gave up just three earned runs. Arps finished the game for her third pitching appearance of the season.

Freshman Michelle Pleiman leads the team in batting average (.375), slugging percentage (.438) and on base percentage (.375), while Arps is hitting .364 and Neal is hitting .280. Freshman Allison Lange, last week's HCAC player-of-the-week, leads the squad with eight hits including three doubles, while Kurtz leads the pitching staff with 18 strikeouts and a .218 opponent batting average.