By: Ethan Stearns, sports information assistant
AUBURNDALE, Fla. - The Bluffton University softball team finished up its slate of matchups in Florida on Friday, March 10, 2023, coming up short against Edgewood College and Benedictine University out of Illinois. Bluffton closed the week 5-5 as the Beavers prepare to head north.
Scoring was hard to come by against an impressive Edgewood squad as the Beavers managed just two scores in the Friday opener. Trailing 6-0 in the bottom of the third, junior Kayleigh Michael (Eaton/National Trail) stepped to the plate and hit a solo bomb into right field.
Freshman Kaylee Grant (Lima/Shawnee) doubled to right center and scored the final run for her squad in the home seventh, but Edgewood was too much as the Eagles capped off their 11-2 victory.
Kryshel Dales (Defiance/Ayersdale) and Bobbi Adams (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) both chipped in with safeties.
Senior Erin Norman (Pleasant Hill/Newton) slipped to 3-2 on the season, giving up five runs during one inning in the circle. Grace Fillinger (Hinckley/Highland) pitched the final six innings, allowing six runs, but just two earned, with one strikeout.
The second game against Benedictine University was even more of a struggle for the Bluffton offense as the Eagles took advantage of a perfect game from Alexandra Loizon to shut out the Beavers, 7-0.
Benedictine came to the diamond ready to play its first game of the season, scoring six of seven runs in the first two innings. Although Bluffton allowed just one more tally over the final five frames, the Beavers were unable to mount any offense in their second setback of the day.
Loizon was on fire, tossing a perfect game that included six strikeouts and 13 flyouts. Junior Katie Fleshman (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) fell to 0-2 on the season as she went 3.2 innings and allowed seven runs with four strikeouts. Norman was up to the task over the final 2.1 innings, allowing no runs on two hits with a strikeout.
The Bluffton squad will head back to the chilly Ohio weather for a doubleheader with Heidelberg University at home on Wednesday, March 15. Game one is slated to start at 3:30 p.m.
-BEAVERS-