By: Joseph Watkins, sports information assistant
CLERMONT, Fla. - The Bluffton University softball team took the field for the final day of games in the Sunshine State on Friday, March 6, 2020. Unfortunately, the Beavers dropped their final two games against Johnson & Wales (9-0) and Cornell College (12-3).
Bluffton could not get anything going in game one as the Beavers were held to just three hits in the lidlifter. Johnson & Wales jumped out to a hot start and put up four runs in the first inning. They would tack on five more runs over the fifth and sixth innings en route to a 9-0 victory over Bluffton.
Lily Tate (Mount Gilead/Northmor), Courtney Jasinski (Englewood/Northmont) and Taylor Steinke (Findlay) recorded the three hits for Bluffton.
Grace Fillinger (Hinckley/Highland) got the nod in game one, going just two innings while giving up four runs on six hits. Her record fell to 1-3. Molly Bollinger (Lima/Shawnee) came in and tossed three innings, giving up three runs on five hits with a strikeout. Erin Norman (Pleasant Hill/Newton) capped it off with one inning of work, allowing two runs on three hits.
After two scoreless frames in game two, Cornell would get on the board first with a 2-0 lead going to the fifth. Bluffton responded in the top of the fifth when Bobbi Adams (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) doubled to right center field, tying the game with her two-run two-bagger. Cornell put the game on ice with a seven-run inning to make their lead 9-2 after five.
In the top half of the sixth, Jasinski plated Emily Dyson (Payne/Wayne Trace) with a fielder's choice that made it 9-3, however, Cornell would tack on three more in the bottom half of the inning with a bomb which sealed the 12-3 mercy-rule loss for the Beavers.
Riley Langstaff (Findlay) had two hits for the Beavers and Adams added a two-run double.
Katie McCord (Lawrenceburg) started on the bump, giving up seven runs over four innings on five hits with two free passes. Norman and Bollinger combined for 1.2 innings of relief, giving up five runs on four hits.
Bluffton will be back in action on Saturday, March 14, when the Beavers travel to Michigan to take on Kalamazoo in an afternoon double header. Game one is set for 1 p.m.
-BEAVERS-