April 21 – BETHANY, W. Va. – Looking to keep pace in the Presidents' Athletic Conference playoff chase, the Bethany College softball team captured a pair of pivotal contests in a doubleheader with Saint Vincent College on Tuesday. The Bison received a masterful pitching performance from Cassie Weiss (Washington, Pa./McGuffey) in a 2-0 win in game one, before the offense came alive in an 11-7 game two triumph.
Pitching against PAC ERA leader Samantha Emert, Bethany's Weiss pitched one of the best games of her young career, allowing just six hits (all singles) while earning a complete-game shutout in the game one victory. Weiss struck out six Bearcats while not giving up a single free pass in the win.
Offensively, the Bison were limited against Emert, but made the most of each opportunity that they received. Bethany tallied just two hits in the game. However, both hits were doubles which ended up resulting in runs.
The first hit for the Green & White came from T.J. Solomon (Beltsville, Md./Elizabeth Seton), who led off the bottom of the third inning with a double to right-center field. With Solomon battling an injury, Samantha Newfrock (Endwell, N.Y./Endicott) came in to pinch run, and was quickly moved to third on a groundout by Kadie Kelly (Royal Oak, Md./St. Michaels). The next batter was Jessica Kusnierz (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) who grounded out on a slow roller to short, allowing Newfrock to score, putting the Bison up 1-0.
After Weiss kept the Bearcats off the scoreboard in fourth and fifth innings, which included stranding two runners in the fourth, the Bison picked up their second run in the exact same fashion as the first. This time it was sophomore Sara Coss (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) who led off the inning with a double to right. Kylee Clark (Heath, Ohio/Lakewood) came in to pinch run for the Bison, and was immediately pushed to third on a sacrifice bunt from Marissa Bosley (New Martinsville, W. Va./Magnolia). Solomon then grounded out to second to score Clark, giving the Green & White the 2-0 lead.
The cushion would be more than enough for Weiss, who allowed just one hit over the final two innings to pick up her fifth victory of the season.
Offensively, Solomon, playing in her first contest in a little over a week, went 1-for-2 at the plate with a double and a RBI. Coss added the other hit while Kusnierz posted a RBI in the victory.
In the second contest, the flood gates opened for both teams offensively. The two programs combined for 23 hits and 18 runs as the Bison outslugged Saint Vincent 11-7.
For as much as small ball played a factor in the first game, the big inning was what fueled game two. The Bison opened the scoring by striking for five runs in the home half of the third inning. Solomon once again led off the inning with a hit, singling to left field. Following that hit, consecutive bunt singles by Kadie Kelly and Kusnierz had the bases loaded with no outs.
The first RBI of the game was driven in by Brill, who posted an infield single, scoring Newfrock as she slid in just ahead of the throw from first to give the Bison a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, after a passed ball scored Kusnierz and put runners on second and third, Deanna Mihalco (Patterson, N.Y./Brewster) knocked in two runs with a RBI single, expanding the lead to 4-0. Bosley drove in the inning's final run, singling home pinch runner Aubrey Baehr (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley) to stake the hosts to a 5-0 lead.
St. Vincent would respond in the top of the fourth, using two singles and a walk to load the bases with no one out. After starting pitcher Kelsey Bish (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) posted a strikeout, the Bearcats' Sarah Swettlen unloaded the bases with an opposite-field grand slam, cutting the Bethany lead to 5-4. Saint Vincent would add another run on a fielding error to tie the game and would re-load the bases with one out.
Weiss would re-enter the doubleheader with the bases loaded, and pick up right where she left off in the first game. On the next play, Weiss got Breanne Wallace to line into a 3-6 double play, ending the St. Vincent threat to keep the game tied at 5-5.
The Green & White would break the game back open in the home half of the fifth, posting six runs on five hits. Kayla Kelly (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) opened the inning by reaching on an error and then quickly swiped second base for her conference-leading 12th steal of the season. After a groundout by Mihalco moved Kelly to third, Coss notched a sacrifice fly, scoring the junior to give the Bison a 6-5 lead.
With a runner on second base, Bosley crushed her second home run of the season, going opposite field for a two-run shot that hit the scoreboard, giving the Bison an 8-5 advantage.
Still with two outs in the inning, Solomon got the Bison going yet again, singling to left center. Pinch runner Jasmine Fuqua (Washington, Pa./Trinity) then came in to run before Kadie Kelly singled to left to put two on. The next batter was Kusnierz, who doubled down the right field line to score both runners. Kusnierz then came all the way around to score on the play as an errant throw by the Saint Vincent first baseman got over the catcher's head. When the dust settled, the Bison were staked to an 11-5 lead.
The Bearcats would add a run in both the sixth and seventh innings, but would get no closer as Weiss slammed the door to pick up her second win of the day, 11-7.
Weiss was efficient in game two, coming in with one out in the fourth inning. The freshman pitched 3.2 innings of relief, allowing two earned runs while striking out three. Combined in the two contests, Weiss put together 10.2 innings in the circle, allowing 10 hits and two earned runs while striking out nine. With the wins, Weiss improved her record to 6-5 on the season.
Offensively in game two, five different players tallied a pair of hits, including Bosley who notched a single, a two-run homer and three RBI. Kusnierz and Mihalco each also finished with a pair of RBI while Kusnierz, Brill, Solomon and Kadie Kelly all totaled two hits.
The sweep for the Green & White put the Bison a game in the loss column ahead of St. Vincent, while also pulling the team into a virtual tie with Westminster for third place. The Green & White also sit just one game in the loss column behind PAC leader Thomas More with four games to play.
The Bison will be back in action on Thursday, April 23, as they travel to Grove City, Pa. for a doubleheader with the Wolverines of Grove City College. The matchup is slated for a 3:30 p.m. start.
