NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Bluffton University softball team dropped a pair of close games to Heartland Conference rival Manchester University on Good Friday, April 15, 2022. Manchester took game one, 3-2, and then held on for an 11-9 victory in the finale.
Mia McCartney (North Baltimore) put the Beavers up 1-0 with a two-bagger to left in the second, plating senior Taylor Shimp (St. Marys/Memorial).
The Spartans scored in only one frame, but three Manchester runs in the fourth proved to be the difference when Bluffton managed just one more score in the sixth as the visitors left the bases loaded following two Spartan errors. Shimp drove in Madison Jones (West Milton/Milton Union) with the visitors struggling to generate offense in the lidlifter.
Jones slipped to 3-4 after allowing two runs on one hit while issuing five free passes in just 2.1 innings of work. Erin Norman (Pleasant Hill/Newton) limited the home team to one run over the final 3.2 frames.
A Jones sacrifice fly in the first inning of game two picked up Lily Tate (Mount Gilead/Northmor) for a quick 1-0 lead. Tate's squeeze bunt in the third plated Kayleigh Michael (Eaton/National Trail) who smacked a leadoff triple to start the inning.
Bluffton added runs in the fourth and fifth, however, four Manchester tallies in the third, followed by two in the fourth and five more in the sixth nearly ended it early before the Beavers tried to force the home team to hit in the bottom of the seventh.
Sydney Zinkon (Fresno/Ridgewood) opened the scoring with an RBI groundout and Bobbi Adams (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) delivered a two-run single before a wild pitch and Katie Fleshman (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) base knock made it a two-run game, but Manchester induced a game-ending groundout to cap its sweep with the 11-9 victory.
Tate went 3-of-3 with two runs scored. Zinkon and Adams drove in two runs apiece.
Norman fell to 4-8 after allowing four runs on six hits in 2.1 innings of work.
Bluffton jumps right back into action on Saturday, April 16, when the Beavers return to Indiana for a 1 p.m. Heartland Conference double dipper at Franklin College.
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