May 6 – BETHANY, W. Va. – Behind a one-hit shutout from freshman pitcher Cassie Weiss (Washington, Pa./McGuffey), as well as an offensive explosion, the Bethany College softball team powered past eighth-seeded Wilson College, 12-0, in the quarterfinal round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III South Regional Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Bison Field.
Weiss got the ball rolling on one of the best pitching performances of her career by striking out the side on just nine pitches. The freshman, who tallied a career-high 11 strikeouts in the PAC Tournament, last week, fanned all three batters on strikes, putting the Phoenix down in order in the first.
The Bison offense immediately came to the aide of their pitcher as they struck for two runs in the home half of the first. After a single and stolen base from Jessica Kusnierz (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) put a runner in scoring position, junior Deanna Mihalco (Patterson, N.Y./Brewster) posted a RBI double to right-center field to give the Green & White the early lead. Two batters later, Sarah Coss (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) singled home Mihalco to extend the lead to 2-0.
After Weiss set Wilson down in order again in the second, Bethany blew open the lead, posting six runs in the bottom of the second. With two outs in the frame and the bases loaded, Emili Garretson (Winfield, W. Va./Winfield) came through with a two-run single up the middle. Coss and Marissa Bosley (New Martinsville, W. Va./Magnolia) then added back-to-back RBI singles, before Taylor Solomon (Beltsville, Md./Elizabeth Seaton) knocked in two with a single to right center. When the dust cleared in the frame, Bethany had tallied six runs on five hits to take an 8-0 advantage.
Weiss would surrender her first baserunner with two outs in the third, giving up a walk before retiring the side, keeping the Bison well in front, 8-0.
Bethany would round out the scoring I the third thanks to a RBI single by Kayla Kelly (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) and a three-run home run from Mihalco. Mihalco belted the ball to deep left-center field, giving her a team-leading five home runs and 31 RBI on the season. The long ball by the junior rounded out the scoring at 12-0.
Weiss kept going strong in the contest, allowing her first hit with one out in the fourth inning. However, after the single to center, Weiss retired the last five Phoenix batters she faced, preserving the 12-0 victory for the Green & White.
Weiss pitched extremely well, needing just 63 pitches to get through 17 batters on the day. She allowed just two baserunners in the win, not allowing a single Wilson player past first base, while striking out six in the contest.
Offensively, Mihalco led the way, finishing the contest 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and four RBI. Garretson and Coss each went 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI on the day. Solomon also drove in a pair of runs.
Despite having just one official at bat on the day, senior Jessica Kusnierz captured a single-season school record. Kusnierz reached base in all three of her plate appearances while also scoring three runs to give her a record-breaking 41 on the year. The previous runs record of 40, which was shared by a handful of players, was most recently set by Bridgette Fauth in 2010.
With the win, the Bison have earned the right as the top overall seed to host the ECAC Division III South Regional Championships this coming weekend. The four-team, round-robin style tournament will start on Saturday, May 9, and will conclude on Sunday, May 10. Other teams competing in the tournament will include the second-seeded Cougars of Miseracordia University, third-seeded Cabrini, and fifth-seeded Penn State – Altoona, who earned a spot in the semis with a 6-0 victory over Stevenson University.
Schedule of games has yet to be determined, but the Bison will take on Penn State – Altoona with Miseracordia taking on Cabrini in the other opening game. The first contest at Bison Field will begin at 10 a.m.
