LEESBURG, Fla. - The Bluffton University softball team made a day of it at Leesburg, but the wait was worth it as Head Coach Paige Jansen picked up her first and second wins as the head coach of the Beavers! Bluffton improved to 2-1 on the season before a torrential downpour capped off the marathon on Monday, March 7, 2022.
Mount Mary jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Beavers responded with their first runs of the season in the home half when Madison Jones (West Milton/Milton Union) and Lily Tate (Mount Gilead/Northmor) laced back-to-back RBI singles.
Three more Bluffton runs crossed the dish two innings later when Tate's shot to first was too hot to handle and Lexus Rutledge (Henderson, KY/Henderson County) picked up Jones with a base hit to center for a 5-2 Bluffton lead.
A pair of Beaver errors in the sixth allowed Mount Mary to knot it up at 5-5 before Bobbi Adams (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) singled home Sammi Urban (Troy/Miami East) in the bottom of the frame for a 6-5 advantage.
Another miscue in the seventh made the score 6-6, but the Beavers had other plans. With runners at second and third and just one down, Urban's groundout to short ended the game as Kryshel Dales (Defiance/Ayersville) scurried home with the game-winning run!
Zinkon and Jones both smacked three hits in game one with Jones going 3-of-3 at the dish. Tate drove in two runs, while Zinkon and Jones both scored twice. Erin Norman (Pleasant Hill/Newton) worked the final 1.2 innings, giving up two runs, both unearned, as she evened her season mark at 1-1. Katie Fleshman (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) and Jones both gave up two runs during their time in the circle. Bluffton allowed only one walk in the Monday opener.
Game two saw the Beavers explode for 21 hits and 14 tallies, scoring three runs in the first inning and five more in the second on the way to an 8-1 lead. Zinkon led off with a triple to left center and Tate picked her up with a single through the left side. Jones and Norman followed with run-scoring knocks for a 3-0 lead after one.
Jones had the big swing in the second when her shot to left field plated Adams, Tate and Zinkon. Adams and Rutledge added RBI's for an 8-1 lead going to the third. Adams doubled home Zinkon in the third and Rutledge beat out her bunt, making the score 10-1.
OWU stayed alive with four tallies in the home fourth before a three-run Bluffton fifth pushed it back to 13-5. Adams singled in Tate before Davis plated Adams and Jones. The Battling Bishops scored three in the fifth and two in the seventh, but a Jones sacrifice fly in the sixth helped the Beavers escape with a 14-10 victory in game two.
Adams had herself a day, tying the school record with five hits while going 5-of-5 with three runs and three RBI. Jones was a perfect 4-of-4 with a sacrifice fly and five RBI. Tate went 4-of-5 with three runs scored and Zinkon also scored three times.
Jones notched her first collegiate victory after working 3.1 innings of relief. She struck out two and walked two while allowing seven hits and five runs. Norman fanned three in her 3.2 inning in the circle.
Bluffton will kick off its Tuesday, March 8, with a 4 p.m. matchup with Penn State-Brandywine at Hancock Park in Clermont. Game two is slated for 6:15 against Delaware Valley.
-BEAVERS-