BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University softball team exploded for six runs in the bottom of the first inning against Cedarville and never looked back, rolling to a sweep over the visitors on Tuesday, March 25, 2008. The Beavers took the first contest by a 10-2 count in six innings and came back to finish off the Lady Jackets 9-2 in the nightcap. With the sweep, the Beavers improved to 9-7 while Cedarville fell to 5-7 following the losses.
Bluffton 10, Cedarville 2 (6 innings)
TIFFANY BUCKMASTER (Lima/Bath) drew a leadoff walk to open the bottom of the first in game one. MOLLIE BROWN (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) and JAYME MARBAUGH(Ohio City/Parkway) both reached to load the bases with no outs. Two outs later it looked like the Beavers were going to come up empty when Cedarville misplayed a KAYLA WILLIAMS(Elida/Elida) fly ball and all three Bluffton runners crossed the plate while Williams motored around to third. Freshman ABBY SNIDER (Wapakoneta/Wapakoneta) plated Williams with her RBI single up the middle and BROOKE BABCOCK (Findlay/Findlay) helped her cause with a two-run shot to center field for a 6-0 Bluffton lead.
The Lady Jackets took advantage of a dropped fly in each of the fourth and fifth innings to trim the deficit to four with a pair of unearned runs.
Bluffton responded with two runs in the home half of the fifth to push the lead back up to six. With Marbaugh and KATIE WELCH (Berne, Ind./South Adams) both in scoring position, KELLEY KENNEY (Toledo/Emmanuel Baptist) delivered a two-RBI double to right field.
The Beavers put the game away in the sixth inning when Marbaugh's single up the middle plated TORRIE WILSON (Delphos/Jefferson) and ALLISON WHITE (Lima/Shawnee) for the 10-2 victory over the visitors.
Marbaugh, Snider and Babcock led the Beavers with two hits each. Kenney and Babcock finished with two RBI apiece and Marbaugh crossed the plate twice.
Brooke Babcock improved to 4-6 with her complete game victory over the Lady Jackets. She limited Cedarville to two runs, both unearned, on four hits in six innings on the mound. She fired five strikeouts and walked only two batters.
Bluffton 9, Cedarville 2
A leadoff home run by LINDSEY MILLER (Wapakoneta/Wapakoneta) in the bottom of the second inning gave Bluffton the early 1-0 lead in the second game.
Cedarville took advantage of back-to-back walks to HANNAH CARTER and JESSICA REYESas the Lady Jackets scored twice for their only lead of the night in the top of the third frame.
The Cedarville lead was short lived as Bluffton posted a four-spot on the Lady Jackets in the bottom of the third, thanks to Miller's second dinger in as many innings. Her three-run shot plated Buckmaster and Brown and tied her with Allison Lange for the most home runs in a single game. It also marked her sixth bomb of the year, breaking Lange's mark of five home runs set in 2004. AMANDA HARRIS (Arcanum/Arcanum) drove in Abby Snider with a double to left field for a 5-2 Bluffton lead.
Marbaugh doubled home Buckmaster in the bottom of the fourth to give the Beavers a four-run cushion.
Bluffton pasted three more runs on the scoreboard in the home half of the fifth for what turned out to be the final 9-2 score. Welch came around to score when the Lady Jackets failed to cleanly field Brown's grounder to second base. With the bases juiced, Kenney again came through for Bluffton with a single up the middle which plated Marbaugh and Brown.
Miller continued to terrorize opposing pitching, going 3-of-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Kenney, Marbaugh and Harris all went 2-for-3 while Brown and Babcock finished the game with two hits in four at bats. Kenney drove in two runs while Buckmaster and Brown both scored twice in the victory. Marbaugh finished the day 4-of-6 with two sacrifice bunts.
Kenney upped her record to 5-1 with the complete game victory. She gave up only two runs on three hits in seven innings of work.
The Beavers return to action on Saturday, March 29, 2008, when they host Heartland Conference foe Rose-Hulman. The first game is slated to start at 1 p.m.
-BEAVERS-