April 9, 2009
NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. - The Bluffton University softball team plated a run in the ninth for a 3-2 game one victory before completing the sweep of Manchester with a 7-2 win on Thursday, April 9, 2009. The Beavers upped their season mark to 22-8 overall and 7-1 in the Heartland Conference, while Manchester slipped to 9-16 with a 1-5 record in the HCAC
BLUFFTON 3, MANCHESTER 2 (9 INNINGS)
It took seven innings to put any runs on the scoreboard, but Bluffton plated a single run in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames to finally finish off the Spartans by a 3-2 count. With two down and nobody on in the top of the seventh, JESSICA MCDONALD (Mechanicsburg) drew a free pass. Pinch runner TORRIE WILSON (Delphos/Jefferson) went to third on EMILY MANAHAN'S (Columbus/Bishop Watterson) single. A Manchester error allowed Bluffton to score the first run of the game.
The Spartans put together four hits in the bottom of the seventh, but baserunning errors kept Manchester from putting the game away in regulation as Bluffton went to the eighth tied 1-1. Both teams scored a run in the eighth, but the Beavers converted again in the ninth and BROOKE BABCOCK (Findlay) slammed the door with two strikeouts in the bottom of the inning to clinch the 3-2 victory.
A KELLIE KENNEY (Toledo/Emmanuel Baptist) RBI double that plated JAYME MARBAUGH(Ohio City/Parkway) in the ninth was the difference in Bluffton's win over the Spartans.
Marbaugh and Kenney both smacked two hits while Wilson, Marbaugh and ALLISON WHITE(Lima/Shawnee) all scored runs in game one.
Brooke Babcock continued her stellar pitching, improving to 11-4 with a nine strikeout performance in which she did not walk a batter and was perfect through the first three innings. She gave up two runs, one earned, and allowed seven hits.
BLUFFTON 7, MANCHESTER 2
The Beavers eliminated any thoughts of another nail-biter by crossing the plate four times in the top of the third en route to a 7-2 win over the Spartans.
After Manchester scored a run in the first and Bluffton tied it in the second, the Beavers put the contest away with four runs on four hits in the top of the third inning. A Marbaugh single and LINDSEY MILLER (Wapakoneta) two-bagger put runners in scoring position for Kellie Kenney who picked Marbaugh up with a groundout to third. Babcock's double knocked in pinch runner ALLISON RADOMSKI (Fairfield/Cincinnati Christian) for a 3-1 advantage. Babcock scored when Manahan reached on a Manchester error and McDonald finished the damage with an RBI double.
Miller singled in Marbaugh in the fourth and Manahan drove TIFFANY BUCKMASTER(Lima/Bath) home in the fifth to complete the scoring in Bluffton's 7-2 game two victory.
Babcock led the hit parade with a 3-of-4 performance that included two doubles. Wilson, Marbaugh, Miller and Jessica McDonald all ripped two hits in the second contest. McDonald, who has been instrumental in Bluffton's last six wins, drove in two runs and Marbaugh scored twice.
Kenney improved to 9-3 after holding the Spartans to just three hits and one run in four innings of work. Freshman hurler KRISTIN AGAUAS (Bloomfield, Mich./Andover), who worked five superb innings a day ago at Heidelberg, struck out four batters in three innings of one-run relief.
Bluffton travels to Anderson University for its last away games of the 2009 regular season on Thursday, April 16. The first contest is slated to start at 3 p.m.
-BEAVERS-