March 3, 2015
By: Colton Steiner, sports information assistant
FORT MYERS, FL - The Bluffton University softball team continued its winning ways as the Beavers defeated the Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders handily in a 10-0 win. The victory pushed the Beavers to an impressive 5-0 record to start the season. It was the first game of 2015 for the Raiders.
Bluffton went up 1-0 when a throwing error allowed MAKENZIE SCHMIDT(Caledonia/River Valley) to cross the dish in the opening frame. The Beavers played tremendous defense, and received excellent pitching from senior CHLOE SHELL (Covington). Milwaukee SOE poked its only hit of the game with one down in the bottom of the third.
The Beavers blew it wide open when they scored five runs off five hits in the fifth inning. An RBI single by CARLY LEVINDOFSKE(Brunswick/Magnificat) picked up ASHLEY KNIPPEN (Wapakoneta) and moved ARIANA MUFFO (New Athens, Ill./New Athens) to third. Muffo trotted home following a BRITTANY BAKER (Springboro) single. Baker and JOHANNA BONDRA (Highland Heights/Mayfield) both crossed the dish thanks to a throwing error by the Raiders. The final run of the fifth inning came when a Schmidt single scored fellow freshman BRITTANY HUFF (Clayton/Northmont).
With the score 6-0 going into the top of the sixth, a three-run bomb to left field gave JOSIE MCELROY (Mt. Orab/Western Brown) her first collegiate homer, making the score 9-0. An RBI double by Bondra capped off a solid 10-0 mercy-rule victory in six innings.
The Beavers were led by Brittany Baker who broke out of her early-season funk when she went 4-for-4 at the plate and scored twice. Baker also connected for a double in the victory. Ashley Knippen scored twice for Bluffton, notching two hits in the game.
CHLOE SHELL (Covington) had an outstanding day as she secured her second win of the season. Shell went all 6.0 innings and allowed only one paltry hit on the day. She fanned five Raiders and only walked one, needing just 78 pitches to get it done.
The Beavers (5-1) dropped their first game of the season against the Wartburg Knights who improved to 2-4 on the year. Bluffton struggled for base runners as their only two hits were singles by Makenzie Schmidt and JESSICA KUZARA (Flat Rock, Mich./Huron) that never left the infield. A three-run fifth inning was all Wartburg needed to nail down the win.
Putting the Knights up 1-0 was an RBI single by KIRBY MEYER that went up the middle and scored COURTNEY BELK. Two unearned runs by KATIE WYMAN and Meyer made the score 3-0. The Beavers opened the seventh with a Kuzara single, but she was stranded at third as the Beavers went down in order.
EMILY KOLEZYNSKI (Strongsville) went 3.0 innings with two strikeouts, allowing only one hit. Bluffton sophomore EMILY SCUPHOLM (Cuyahoga Falls/Our Lady of the Elms) came in for the Beavers in the fourth inning. Scupholm took the loss as she fell to 1-1 on the season. She tossed 2.0 innings and gave up three runs, just one earned, on two hits with a walk.
The Beaver look to kick off a new winning streak when they face Mount St. Mary at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4, before an 11 a.m. matchup against Northland.
-BEAVERS-