March 21, 2009
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Adrian College softball team had revenge on its mind and the Bulldogs exacted it with a sweep in the first games played at the Beavers' new field on Saturday, March 21, 2009. Adrian scored a seventh inning run to win 5-4 in the lidlifter before throttling Bluffton 9-1 in just five innings to complete the sweep with a mercy-rule victory.
ADRIAN 5, BLUFFTON 4
With two down in the top of the first inning, HOLLY LOWE blooped a single to right center and MEGHAN STEVENS took advantage of the plate appearance with a two-run shot over the wall in center field.
Bluffton knotted the game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. CHELSIE OSBORNE (Chillicothe/Waverly) drew a one-out walk and she came around to score when senior KELLIE KENNEY (Toledo/Emmanuel Baptist) laced an RBI double to the wall in left center. An Adrian error sent Kenney across the plate, making it 2-2.
Adrian came right back with two runs on two hits and two Bluffton errors to go up 4-2 midway through the third. Osborne delivered an RBI single up the middle to plate MEAGAN PRICE(Toledo/Springfield) in the home half of the third frame.
Osborne opened the bottom of the sixth with a double to center field. She moved to third when Adrian dropped BROOKE BABCOCK'S (Findlay) fly ball to right. A Kenney bloop to left forced DANIELLE SHORTSLE (Alma, Mich./Alma) at second but it tied the game at 4-4 as Osborne scurried home. Two popouts by the Beavers kept the game knotted heading into the seventh inning.
A one out walk came back to haunt the Beavers when Lowe doubled home KRISSY SHEETS for what turned out to be the game-winning run. Bluffton had its chances in the bottom of the inning thanks to Price reaching base as a result of an Adrian error to open the frame. JAYME MARBAUGH (Ohio City/Parkway) moved her to second with a sacrifice bunt, but 2008 HCAC MVP LINDSEY MILLER (Wapakoneta), who was 0-of-6 on the day, and Chelsie Osborne came up empty to end the game.
Babcock fell to 6-3 with the loss. She gave up five runs on seven hits in seven innings of work with five strikeouts. Osborne and TIFFANY BUCKMASTER (Lima/Bath) both had two hits in the loss. Kenney drove in two and Osborne scored twice.
ADRIAN 9, BLUFFTON 1 (5 INNINGS)
Bluffton took the early 1-0 lead in the first frame when a Bulldog throwing error allowed Price to come around from second after an infield single to open the game. That was the end of the Bluffton scoring and it served to fire up Adrian who rallied for five scores in the second despite just two hits. Three Bluffton errors and two other ground balls in the infield that did not result in outs proved costly as all five Adrian runs were unearned.
Adrian scored a single run in the third before putting the game out of reach with three more scores in the top of the fifth. The Bulldogs pounded five hits in the fifth alone and KELLY TOMASEK, who has allowed just four runs this season, was masterful in the circle, limiting the Beavers to two measly singles in five innings while improving to 8-0 on the year.
Kenney (4-2) took the loss after going just 2.1 innings and giving up six runs, just one earned, on five hits. Price's infield single and Babcock's base knock to right center were the only Bluffton hits in game two.
Bluffton will continue its difficult run through the top teams in the MIAA when the Beavers travel to Alma College for a meeting with Coach Bruder's alma mater on Tuesday, March 24. The first contest is slated to start at 3:30 p.m.
-BEAVERS-