AUBURNDALE, Fla. - The Bluffton University softball team rallied for a 5-4 win over St. Vincent on Tuesday, March 7, before Allegheny pitched a 7-0 shutout in game two, snapping a three-game winning streak for the Beavers. Bluffton stands 4-2 heading into its off day in Florida.
A leadoff homer by Olivia Person put St. Vincent up 1-0 after just three pitches Tuesday morning, but Bluffton answered right back in the home half when Mia McCartney (North Baltimore) drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on a pair of groundouts and tied it up thanks to the first of two sraight Bearcat errors.
An RBI single through the left side in the fourth helped Bluffton stay within striking distance, down 4-2, heading to the bottom of the sixth and that's when the real fun began. Freshman center fielder Julia Tegeder (Hamilton) laced a double over the first base bag to open the home half of the inning. A Kayleigh Michael (Eaton/National Trail) base hit and walk to McCartney loaded the sacks.
Senior Bobbi Adams (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) ripped a two-run single through the right side, tying it up at 4-4, before Kryshel Dales (Defiance/Ayersville) made it 5-4 Bluffton with her RBI groundout that sent McCartney home with what turned out to be the game-winning run when Erin Norman (Pleasant Hill/Newton) set St. Vincent down in order in the top of the seventh!
The reigning HCAC Pitcher of the Week had to work a little harder on Tuesday, but the end result was still the same as Norman stayed perfect at 3-0 with her third straight complete-game effort in as many days. She allowed four runs on eight hits with no walks and four punchouts.
McCartney drew three walks and scored three of the five Beaver runs. Adams finished with two of Bluffton's five hits and she drove in three runs. Another key to the Bluffton victory was eight Saint Vincent errors that helped the Beavers score two unearned runs.
Game two saw Allegheny get all it would need in the first inning as the Gators took advantage of a pair of walks when Cameron Long launched a grand slam over the wall in center field. The home team on the scoreboard added two tallies in the fifth and one more in the sixth en route to the 7-0 shutout.
Bluffton finished with just three hits in game two. Senior Grace Fillinger (Hinckley/Highland) fell to 1-1 after allowing seven runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and two walks over six innings.
The Beavers will enjoy the sights and sounds in Florida on Wednesday before resuming play at Winter Haven on Thursday. Game one is slated for 2 p.m. with Emmanuel from Massachusetts before a 4:30 p.m. tussle with Penn State-Brandywine.
-BEAVERS-