By: Ethan Stearns, sports information assistant
ANDERSON, Ind. - The Bluffton University softball team split a Heartland Conference series at Anderson University on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, picking up their first league win of the season in the process. After taking a commanding victory in game one, 7-3, the Beavers fought hard in the second contest, but fell just short with a final score of 7-6. Bluffton moved to 12-18 overall and 1-7 in the conference, while the Ravens are now 8-18 and 3-5 in the HCAC.
The Beavers were able to jump out to a quick 3-1 lead in the first frame of matchup number one, and the visitors never looked back as they would stay out in front for the duration. After a Bobbi Adams (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) walk and a single to center field from Kryshel Dales (Defiance/Ayersville), senior Sammi Urban (Troy/Miami East) was able to reach first on a Raven error which loaded the bases and set the stage for Julia Tegeder (Hamilton) who slapped a bases-clearing triple to right field!
After a scoreless second, Bluffton was able to put another tally on the board in the third when Urban grounded out to the shortstop, allowing a speedy Kaylei Barnett (Wapakoneta) to score for a 4-1 advantage.
Holding a slim 4-3 lead going to the final frame, the Beavers added another three runs to their side of the ledger while putting the game out of reach in the seventh. Adams added yet another RBI to her resume, rocketing a single through the right side that drove Kaylee Grant (Lima/Shawnee) home. Adams and Elizabeth Crites (Findlay) crossed the dish thanks to a plethora of errors from Anderson University, including a dropped fly ball which led to the 7-3 HCAC victory for Bluffton University!
Tegeder led the way, driving in three runs with her perfectly placed triple. Adams, Dales and Urban all contributed scoring hits as well.
Senior hurler Erin Norman (Pleasant Hill/Newton) picked up her seventh win of the season (7-9) as she went the distance and struck out four batters while issuing just one free pass.
The second game of the day was an HCAC classic with four different lead changes and it came all the way down to the last inning, with AU eventually walking off the 7-6 victory.
Innings one and two saw no scores for either team, but a couple of hits from the home team put them ahead, 2-0, in the third. Bluffton rallied to take the lead in the top of the fifth with three runs of their own. Dales stayed consistent, smacking an RBI knock to center field. Riley Hammonds (Russia, OH) got on the board next with a two-bagger that scored Elizabeth Crites (Findlay) and Dales for a 3-2 Beaver lead.
Anderson rallied for three tallies, including a two-run homer, in their half of the fifth frame in order to take a 5-3 advantage going into inning six.
The Beavers still trailed by two in the top of the seventh, but Hammonds wanted to improve upon the double she hit earlier, so she hammered a three-run bomb to left field which made the score 6-5 Bluffton!
In a game full of comebacks and lead changes, Anderson University had the last laugh, scoring two more runs and celebrating with a 7-6 victory.
Hammonds was absolutely locked in with the bat in her hands, going 3-of-4 with five of her team's six RBI's. Dales added the sixth RBI.
Senior Grace Fillinger (Hinckley/Highland) slipped to 5-6 despite allowing just three earned runs with four strikeouts and only one walk.
The Beavers will continue with conference play on Saturday, April 22, when they travel to Terre Haute, Ind. for a doubleheader with the Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers. The first game is slated for 1 p.m.
-BEAVERS-