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Beavers split a pair with Heidelberg

Posted: Mar 23, 2006

By Bill Hanefeld Jr., sports information director
March 23, 2006

BLUFFTON, Ohio. - The Bluffton University softball team (7-7, 0-0 HCAC) split a pair of games with Heidelberg on Thursday, March 23, 2006. Bluffton took game one 5-1 as senior SARAH BETTS (Bryan/Bryan) struck out 12 batters and gave up only four hits. Heidelberg rallied to knock off the Beavers 10-1 in five innings in the second contest.

GAME ONE

Bluffton threatened in the first inning as leadoff hitter RANDI YEAGER (Harrison/Harrison), LINDSAY MILLER (Haviland/Wayne Trace), and CARRIE WEISBECKER (Okeana/Ross) opened the game with walks, but a strikeout, force play at the plate and ground ball to second ended the frame with no Beavers crossing the plate.

SARAH NUSBAUM (Fairview/Fairview) reached on an error in the second inning following a pair of groundouts and she came around to score when Yaeger doubled down the left field line. Following a Miller single, Yaeger caught the Student Princes napping and gave the Beavers a two run cushion when she snuck home.

Heidelberg put a run up in the third when JENNY COLETTA doubled to left center. She crossed the dish when the Beavers fumbled a throw to first on a COREE PRICE bunt.

The Beavers added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-1 lead. Nusbaum open the frame with a single and she scored when Yaeger ripped a triple to right center. Miller plated Yaeger with a ground out to second base. Weisbecker and Motter followed with singles but the Beavers could not push any more runs across the plate in the fourth inning.

Bluffton used a hit and a pair off errors to tack on an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth.

Yaeger led the Beavers with a triple and a double in only two at-bats. She scored twice and knocked in two runs. Motter was 2-of-4 at the plate and Nusbaum scored twice for Bluffton.

Betts picked up the win as she gave up only four hits in her complete game victory. She struck out 12 and walked one in seven innings of work.

GAME TWO

Bluffton took the early 1-0 lead in the first inning as Yaeger opened the game with a single up the middle. After she stole second, Miller knocked her in with a double down the right field line. Those two hits proved to be the only two of the game for the Beavers who had only one other baserunner in the game.

The Student Princes took advantage of poor Bluffton fielding in the second inning to push five runs across the plate on only two hits. Five Bluffton errors in the inning led to five unearned runs.

The third inning was much like the second. Three walks and two hit batters forced the Beavers to bring Betts in to pitch. She got the Beavers out of the jam, but five more runners crossed the plate for Heidelberg as it put the game on ice 10-1 midway through the third inning.

TONYA DEAN (Kettering/Kettering) took the loss for the Beavers as she gave up seven runs in only two innings of work, but shoddy Bluffton fielding gave Heidelberg all the offense it needed to earn a split with the Beavers.

Yaeger and Miller picked up the only hits for the Beavers who fell to 7-7 on the year. Heidelberg improved to 6-6 with the game two victory over Bluffton.

Bluffton returns to action on Saturday, March 25, 2006 when it travels to Case Western Reserve for a doubleheader. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

-BEAVERS-