March 13 - CLERMONT, Fla. - The Bethany College softball team (7-5) found their offense on Friday, earning victories over Juniata (4-3) and Bates (11-5) to close out their spring break trip to Clermont, Fla.
In game one, the Bison tallied ten hits in the contest, perhaps none bigger than Emili Garretson's (Winfield, W.Va./Winfield) RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning that gave the Green & White a 4-3 victory over Juniata.
The Eagles struck first in the top of the second inning as Juniata took advantage of two Bison miscues to score three unearned runs in the frame and take a 3-0 lead.
The Green & White would immediately respond in the bottom of the second inning. Marissa Bosley (New Martinsville, W.Va./Magnolia) reached base on a fielding error and was moved to second on a single by Kadie Kelly (Royal Oak, Md./St. Michaels). Ashlee Brill (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) then roped a single allowing the runners to advance. On the same play, an error by the Juniata first baseman allowed Bosley to score. The next batter was Jessica Kusnierz (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) who singled home Kelly. On the play, the ball also got by the Eagles' left fielder, allowing Brill to score, knotting the game at 3-3.
Following the second inning, both starting pitchers settled down. Bethany senior Kiersten Conwell (Washington, Pa./Chartiers Houston) sacattered just three hits over the next five innings of work, keeping the contest tied at 3-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Three times already in the past week, the Bison have earned a victory in their final at bats or in extra innings. The Green & White then made it four on Friday. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Kusnierz led off the frame with a single. Kayla Kelly (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) then laid down a bunt single, and the runners were moved to second and third on a sacrifice from Deanna Mihalco (Patterson, N.Y./Brewster). The next batter was Garretson, who poked a single through the middle of the infield, scoring Kusnierz to give Bethany the 4-3 walkoff victory.
Offensively for the Bison, both Kusnierz and Conwell led the way as each picked up two hits and a RBI. Eight of the nine starters totaled at least one hit in the game, while all nine reached base at least once.
On the mound, Conwell put in a solid performance, going the distance for her first win of the season. The senior went seven strong innings, allowing just five hits and zero earned runs while striking out six.
In game two, the Bethany bats came to life, as the Green & White posted their highest offensive output of the season, defeating Bates College, 11-5.
Playing as the visitors in the second contest, the Bison tallied the game's first runs, striking for two in the top of the first inning. Kusnierz led off the contest with a single to center field, and was moved to second after Mihalco was hit by a pitch. Garretson then brought home Kusnierz with a RBI single, and Sarah Coss (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) then drove in Mihalco with a sac fly to give Bethany a 2-0 lead.
Bates would respond in the next two innings, striking for two in the second and three more in the third to push ahead 5-2.
Bethany would find their answer in the top of the fourth, posting five runs in the frame. Coss led off the inning with a double to left field. Two batters later, the Bison had the bases loaded with no one out. After the first out of the frame, the Green & White would get back-to-back RBI singles from Brill and Kusnierz to pull within one, 5-4. Kayla Kelly would then re-take the lead for Bethany, sending a bases-clearing triple into right field to give the Bison a 7-5 advantage.
The Bison would get four more runs in the contest, which included a RBI double from Brill in the fifth and a sacrifice fly from Garretson in the seventh, which rounded out the scoring, 11-5.
Offensively, Kayla Kelly led the way, finishing the game 2-for-3 at the plate with a triple and three RBI. Brill and Kusnierz each added three hits in the contest, while Brill and Garretson totaled two RBI, each.
On the mound, freshman Cassie Weiss (Washington, Pa./McGuffey) earned her second victory of the season, taking over the contest in a relief role in the third inning. After the third, Weiss was nearly unhittable, allowing Bates just three baserunners in 4.1 innings of work while striking out seven.
The Bison completed their spring break trip on Friday and will head back north with a record of 7-5. Bethany will take a week off before opening a six-game home stand with a non-conference doubleheader against Penn State - Fayette on Saturday, March 21. The action is slated for a 1 p.m. start.
