By Ben Risinger, SID
March 30, 2004

The Bluffton College softball team (12-2, 2-0 HCAC) find themselves on a seven game win streak and currently lead the Heartland Conference. After a week off due to bad weather the Beavers came back last week with two doubleheader sweeps against Heidelberg 5-0, 5-1 and Hanover 3-2, 4-1. Junior Allison Lange (Archbold/Archbold) was honored as HCAC player of the week for her efforts against the two teams. The centerfielder posted two runs, two RBI's, two stolen bases and a double last Tuesday vs. Heidelberg and went 4-for-6 against the Panthers with a triple and two home runs.

Lange currently leads the team in hitting with a .513 batting average. She leads the Beavers in runs (15), hits (20), doubles (4), a single triple, two home runs and RBI's with nine for the season. 
Junior Mandy Snider (Wapakoneta/Wapakoneta) posts a .308 batting average and sophomore Kate Barringer (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne) is hitting .300 to round off the offensive leaders for Bluffton.

Sophomore pitcher Sarah Betts (Bryan/Bryan) leads the Beavers pitching corps with a 0.37 ERA and a 11-1 record from the mound for the season. Betts pitched her third no-hitter of the year in the first game against Heidelberg .  For the season she has struck out 107 batters in 76.2 innings pitched, giving up only 26 hits, 12 walks and nine runs. She leads the Heartland Conference in ERA, opposing batting average, innings pitched, strikeouts, strikeouts looking and total wins.

As a team, the Beavers post a .247 batting average and .310 slugging percentage. Bluffton posts 28 errors defensively for a .926 fielding percentage.