WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Bluffton University softball team continued its trend of splits on the final day from Winter Haven, Fla. Pitt-Greensburg was no match for the Beavers as they rolled to a 17-3 mercy-rule victory before ending the trip with an 8-0 setback at the hands of Marian University on Thursday, March 6, 2025.
Following one-out singles from Ella McCombs (Springfield/Southeastern) and Mia McCartney (North Baltimore), a three-run bomb from freshman Grace Gronberg (Danville) put the Beavers up 3-0 after one frame.
The Bobcats bounced back with two in the second, but nine Bluffton tallies in the home half made it 12-2 heading to the third inning. Sophomore Taryn Hampton (Fostoria/Hopewell Louden) singled home Julia Tegeder (Hamilton) and Kayleigh Michael (Eaton/National Trail).before McCartney's base hit down the right field line picked up Hampton and McCombs. Gronberg went yard for the second time in as many innings, making it 9-2. Tegeder and Michael continued the onslaught with more RBI knocks that pushed the spread to 10 runs.
A Riley Hammonds (Russia) run-scoring single sent Kaylee Grant (Lima/Shawnee) across the dish in the third and the Beavers added four more scores in the fourth to cap off the 17-3 shellacking. McCartney and Grant smacked RBI singles before sacrifice fly's from senior Lindsey Barnes (Van Wert/Crestview) and Hammonds capped the victory.
McCombs and Grant both finished with three hits in game one. Hampton, Gronberg and Tegeder all added multiple safeties as well. Gronberg drove in five runs with her two dingers, while McCartney chipped in with three RBI. McCombs and McCartney scored three runs apiece.
Hayley Lewis (Kettering/Fairmont) came on in relief and tossed the final 3.1 innings. She scattered five hits, allowing just one run with a walk and two strikeouts while improving to 2-1 on the season.
Marian University from Wisconsin took a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning and it added five more in the fourth on the way to an 8-0 mercy-rule victory over the Beavers in Bluffton's Florida finale. McCombs, Halee McDade (Oxford/Talawanda) and Tegeder all tallied safeties in game two.
Lewis dipped to 2-2 after allowing four runs on four hits with four walks and one strikeout in three innings on the bump.
Bluffton will head north on Friday in preparation for its Ohio opener on Wednesday, March 12, when the Beavers host Heidelberg at 3:30 p.m.
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