April 9, 2007
BLUFFTON, Ohio - Despite a seven-run fourth inning in the opener, the Bluffton University softball team could not hold on as Transylvania University swept the Heartland Conference twin-bill with the Beavers on a cold and snowy Monday, April 9, 2007. The Pioneers upped their record to 17-9, 5-3 in the HCAC, while Bluffton fell to 5-7, 1-3 in the conference.
GAME ONE - TRANSYLVANIA 9, BLUFFTON 7
In the visitors half of the third inning, Transy bolted out to a 6-0 lead thanks to five hits and a hit batter. A BRITTANY LEACH single plated two Pioneers and EMILY SAFSTROM followed with a three-run dinger. Two passed balls allowed JORDEN ROBERTS to tack on Transy's sixth run in the third inning.
Bluffton exploded for seven runs of its own in the bottom half of the fourth. BROOKE BABCOCK (Findlay/Findlay) opened the inning with a double down the right field line. LINDSEY MILLER (Wapakoneta/Wapakoneta) drew a free pass and the Beavers put in AMANDA BARTZ (Columbus Grove/Columbus Grove) and ANDREA WOZNIAK (Port Clinton/Port Clinton) to pinch run for Babcock and Miller. A walk to AMANDA HARRIS(Arcanum/Arcanum) loaded the bases for JENNA MAYER (Lima/Shawnee) who ripped a single up the middle, scoring Wozniak and Bartz. KELLIE KENNEY'S (Toledo/Emmanuel Baptist) single loaded the bases for TONYA DEAN (Kettering/Kettering) who promptly knocked in Harris with a single while Mayer scored following an error at the plate. In her second trip to the plate in the fourth, Babcock hit paydirt again with a single to center which picked up KATIE AMMONS(Findlay/Findlay) and Dean. CARRIE WEISBECKER'S (Okeana/Ross) RBI single gave the Beavers a 7-6 lead after four innings.
The Beavers held onto their slim one-run lead until the top of the seventh when Transy put together three hits and took advantage of a Bluffton error to take a 9-7 victory in game one.
Babcock, Mayer and Ammons all picked up two hits in the opener. Babcock and Mayer both knocked in two runs for the Beavers. Kenney went the distance and took the loss, giving up nine runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts. She fell to 4-3 on the season.
GAME TWO - TRANSYLVANIA 8, BLUFFTON 0 (6 INNINGS)
In the nightcap, Transylvania's CLAIRE LANHAM limited the Beavers to three hits and no runs as she improved to 8-4 on the year.
The Pioneers jumped on top with three runs in the first and second innings to take a commanding 6-0 lead and effectively put the game on ice. They tacked a score on in the fifth, a solo homer from Fitzpatrick, and added an insurance run in the sixth inning.
Bluffton scratched out only three hits, two by Lindsey Miller, for Brooke Babcock who fell to 1-4 with the loss. She gave up seven runs on six hits with six strikeouts and only one walk in five innings of work on the hill.
The Beavers return to action Wednesday, April 11, 2007, when they travel to Manchester for a doubleheader with the Spartans. The first game is slated to start at 3 p.m.