By Jordon Bruner, sports information assistant
April 5, 2006

GRANVILLE, Ohio - The Bluffton University softball team (8-13, 1-3 HCAC) dropped a pair of pitchers' duels under the lights at Denison University on Tuesday, April 4, 2006. Bluffton fell 1-0 in the opener and the Big Red plated a run in the eighth inning of the nightcap to complete the sweep 3-2.

GAME ONE - DENISON 1, BLUFFTON 0

Denison took advantage of two untimely Beaver errors to score the only run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.  KOPKO led off the inning by reaching base on an error and then she scored after a throwing error following a single by CARELLA.

Bluffton put together a couple of hits in the seventh inning as LINDSEY MILLER(Wapakoneta/Wapakoneta) and GRETCHEN HANDLEY (Ashland/Ashland) each rapped one out singles. The promising inning came to an end when KELLIE KENNEY (Toledo/Emmanuel Baptist) hit into a game-ending double play.

SARAH BETTS (Bryan/Bryan) took the loss, despite only giving up three hits and one unearned run. She struck out nine and walked one over six innings.

The Beavers finished with only four hits, including two in the final inning.

GAME TWO - DENISON 3, BLUFFTON 2

RANDI YAEGER (Harrison/Harrison) started off the nightcap with a leadoff double. She then scored as MICHELLE MOTTER (Lakeview/Indian Lake) reached on a Denison error, giving Bluffton an early 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the first inning, Denison responded when PORTER knotted the game at one with a leadoff home run. 

Following a scoreless second inning, Yaeger put Bluffton in the lead once again with a solo shot. That was the last run the Beavers would score as they were limited to two hits in the final five innings.

Denison once again responded to Bluffton's run with one of their own in the bottom of the third inning. Porter walked to start the bottom half of the inning and later scored on a single by CARELLA.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Denison once again took advantage of two Bluffton errors to win the game. BREEDING was placed on second, and then advanced to third on an error that allowed SILVER to reach first. She scored when Kopko reached on another Bluffton error.

Betts took the loss for Bluffton, giving up three runs, two earned, in seven innings of work. She struck out five batters and scattered six hits in the loss. The Beavers were limited to four hits for the second consecutive contest as Yaeger ended the game 2-for-4 with a double and a home run.

-BEAVERS-