TIFFIN, Ohio - The Bluffton University softball team was back on the dirt for a pair of games at Heidelberg University on a beautiful Thursday, March 17. Kicking off the Ohio portion of the 2022 slate, Bluffton dropped a pair of non-conference games at Tiffin. The Beavers dipped to 3-7 on the season, while Heidelberg improved to 6-2.

Bluffton trailed 5-1 in the top of the sixth when a Heidelberg miscue set the Beavers up for a big inning. Lily Tate (Mount Gilead/Northmor) reached on a dropped popup before base knocks by Sydney Zinkon (Fresno/Ridgewood) and Madison Jones (West Milton/Milton Union) loaded the bases for Bobbi Adams (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) who promptly emptied them with a bases-clearing double down the left field line. Pinch runner Bryn Cisco (Lancaster/Fairfield Union) came around with the game-tying run when Erin Norman (Pleasant Hill/Newton) reached on the second Heidelberg error of the inning.

The Student Princes worked around a pair of Bluffton singles in the eighth and then they took advantage of three hits and a Beaver error an inning later en route to a 6-5 victory in nine innings.

Tate went 2-of-5 with two runs scored. Jones added two safeties and Adams drove in three runs. Norman was saddled with the loss despite allowing just one run in her four innings of relief work. She allowed four hits and walked just one batter. Jones gave up five runs on four hits in four innings on the bump.

Adams put Bluffton up 1-0 in the top of the first in game two when her RBI groundout plated Zinkon. Heidelberg responded with two tallies in the home half and four more in the second on the way to a quick 6-1 lead.

Grace Fillinger (Hinckley/Highland) with an RBI single in the fourth and Taylor Shimp (St. Marys/Memorial) doubled home Mia McCartney (North Baltimore) in the sixth, but Heidelberg had too much offense as the home team smacked 16 hits en route to the 10-3 victory and series sweep.

Jones was a perfect 3-of-3 in game two as she finished the day with five hits. Norman took the loss after allowing six runs, two earned, on six his in just 1.2 innings. Jones set down two Student Princes in the final frame.

Bluffton jumps right back into action on Friday, March 18. The start time has been moved up to 1 p.m. due to the threat of rain Friday afternoon.

-BEAVERS-