MARCH 8 – CLERMONT, Fla. – The Bethany College softball team split a pair of games on Sunday afternoon. The Green & White dropped a 9-6 decision to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy before capturing their first win of the year, a 6-0 win over New England College.
Against the Coast Guard Academy, the Bears drew first blood, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning to take a 4-0 lead.
Bethany would respond in the bottom of the first inning, scoring two runs to cut the Bears' lead in half. Jessica Kusnierz (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) led off the inning reaching first after getting hit by a pitch. She then moved to second on a groundout before being driven home on a RBI double by Deanna Mihalco (Brewster, N.Y./). Mihalco was then chased home two batters later on a RBI single from Sara Coss (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) which cut the game Bears' lead to 4-2.
The Coast Guard would respond with a run in the top of the fifth before expanding the advantage to 9-2 with a four-year outburst in the top of the seventh. The Bison, however, would respond once again.
In the Bison's last at bats, the Green & White managed four runs on four hits. TJ Solomon (Beltsville, Md./Elizabeth Seton) led off the inning by reaching base on an error. She was then moved to second on a groundout before being driven home on a single by Kusnierz. After Kusnierz scored on an error, Mihalco roped her second RBI double of the game, plating Kayla Kelly. Emili Garretson (Winfield, W.Va./Winfield) then singled home Mihalco to pull the Green & White within three, 9-6. However, that is where the score would stand.
Offensively in the game, the Bison were led by Mihalco who posted two hits, two doubles and two RBI on the day. Coss finished the game with three hits and a RBI, while Kusnierz and Garretson produced two hits and a RBI, each.
In the second contest of the day, the Bison got the best pitching performance of the young season, as freshman Sam Binkley (Arthur, Manitoba, Canada/St. James) made her first collegiate start. Binkley was sensational in her first appearance on the mound, pitching a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits while striking out nine batters.
Offensively, the Bison started the scoring off in the top of the second inning as catcher Marissa Bosley (New Martinsville, W.Va./Magnolia) started the inning off with a single through the left side. After advancing to second on a throwing error, Bosley was brought home on a RBI single by Ashlee Brill (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster), giving Bethany a 1-0 lead.
Kusnierz followed Brill's RBI hit was a RBI double of her own, plating Brill, before she was chased home on a RBI hit from Kayla Kelly (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame ). Kelly's RBI pushed the Bethany advantage to 3-0.
The Green & White would round out the scoring by scoring one run each in the third, fifth and seventh innings. Solomon drove in Binkley in the third inning, while a Kadie Kelly (Royal Oak, Md./St. Michaels) double scored Garretson in the fifth inning to make the score 5-0.
The last run of the game came in the form of Kayla Kelly. Kelly showed off her speed after reaching first on an error by New England. She then advanced to second on a passed ball and was moved to third on a fielder's choice. Kelly then took matters into her own hands, stealing home to round out the scoring, 6-0.
Offensively, Bosley put together a three-hit night, the first of the season for any Bison so far. Solomon and Brill each tallied two hits and a RBI. Kayla Kelly, Kadie Kelly and Kusnierz each also drove in a run.
The Bison will be back in action on Monday, March 9 when they take to the field for two contests. The first will be at 9 a.m. against Westfield State, with the second game against SUNY Oneonta starting at 3 p.m.
