March 12 – CLERMONT, Fla. – Getting a pair of masterful pitching performances from senior Kelsey Bish (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) and freshman Cassie Weiss (Avella, Pa./McGuffey), the Bethany College softball team captured two, one-run wins to pull their season record back to .500. The Bison first defeated Penn State Behrend, 1-0, before capturing a 2-1 victory over WPI on Thursday.
In game one, Bish outdueled Penn State Behrend starter Alexa Bupp as the Green & White captured a 1-0 victory.
Both Bish and Bupp put together solid performances, with neither giving up an earned run in the affair. Bish needed just 82 pitches to pitch her second complete game of the season. She went seven strong innings, allowing just five hits while striking out five. She allowed nothing more than a single throughout the seven innings en route to earning her second complete-game victory of the season.
Over the course of the game, Bish kept the Lions bats' dormant, never allowing the Lions past second base throughout the contest. The Bison, meanwhile, used their only scoring chance of the game to capture the game-winning run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Marissa Bosley (New Martinsville, W. Va./Magnolia) went all the way to second on a throwing error by the Lions' short stop, which found its way out of the field of play, awarding her second base with no one out in the inning. Two batters later, Ashlee Brill (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) came through with a clutch single, moving Bosley to third with one out. The next batter was Jessica Kusnierz (New Castle, Pa./Shenango), who lifted a 1-0 count into right field, allowing Bosley to score on the sacrifice fly, giving the Green & White the 1-0 lead.
Over the final two innings, Bish allowed just one baserunner, getting the Lions' out in order in the top of the seventh to preserve the one-run victory for Bethany.
Offensively, Kuznierz, Brill and Emili Garretson (Winfield, W. Va./Winfield) each tallied a hit, with Garretson reaching base in both of her at bats.
In game two, the Bison pitching staff continued to perform well, as Weiss posted the best pitching performance of her young career, willing the Bison to a 2-1 victory over WPI. She tallied her second complete game in as many starts, going the distance while allowing just one earned and seven hits while striking out six. The win pushed her record to 2-1 on the season.
The Green & White got on the board first, striking for a run in the top of the first inning. Kusnierz reached first after being hit by a pitch in her first at bat of the contest. After a sacrifice by Kayla Kelly (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) moved Kusnierz to second, Deanna Mihalco (Pattersono, N.Y./Brewster) earned a free pass to put runners on first and second with one out. Two batters later, Sarah Coss (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) singled to center, scoring Kusnierz for the game's opening run.
Bethany then added the insurance run that they would need in the top of the fifth inning. With one out in the frame, Kelly reached first on a single up the middle. After a sacrifice by Mihalco moved Kelly to second, the junior left fielder stole third base. Garretson then brought home Kelly with a single to center to extend the lead to 2-0.
Weiss then shut the door on the Engineers, allowing four hits but just one earned run over the final three innings, giving the Bison a 2-1 victory and their first double header sweep of the season.
Offensively in the win, Coss totaled half of the team's hits, going 3-for-3 at the plate with a RBI. Garretson added a hit and a RBI while Kusnierz and Kelly posted a hit, each.
The Bison will close out their spring break trip to Clermont, Fla. on Friday when they take to the field for contests against Juniata (1 p.m.) and Bates (3 p.m.).
