NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The third-seeded Bethany College softball team defeated fifth-seeded Waynesburg (Pa.) University by a final score of 9-1 and defeated fourth-seeded Hiram (Ohio) College by a final score of 2-1 in the second day of the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament at the Westminster Softball Field.
Bethany stayed alive in the PAC Tournament by sending two teams into the offseason with a dominant win over Waynesburg and coming back to hold off Hiram as the Bison are now one of three remaining teams fighting for a conference championship. The Green and White will now face off against the number-two seed Geneva in a rematch and elimination game on Monday, May 4 with the winner of that game meeting top-seeded Westminster in the PAC Championship Series.
vs. No. 5 Waynesburg
Scoring Plays
- Bottom 1st - Senior All-PAC third baseman Emma Jackson (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) unloaded on a two-run shot for the 16th homer of her career
- Bottom 2nd - Senior All-PAC designated player Katelyn Ziems (Bowling Green, Ohio) collected her first RBI of the day with a single
- Bottom 2nd - Sophomore right-hander Trinity Edge (Franklin, Pa.) drew the bases loaded walk to bring around a run for the Bison
- Bottom 2nd - Sophomore All-PAC catcher Olivia Kidd (Akron, Ohio/Mogadore) took one for the team after getting hit by a pitch to extend the Bethany lead
- Bottom 3rd - Ziems blew the game wide open with a three-run home run to left center
- Bottom 4th - Sophomore Academic All-PAC second baseman Caitlin O'Farrell (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) recorded an RBI base hit to put Bethany up eight
At the Plate
- Ziems finished the game going 2-for-3 with a team-high four RBI and two runs scored
- Jackson's four-bagger led her 1-for-3 performance with two RBI
- Edge smoked a double and drove in one RBI
- Kidd and O'Farrell each had a base hit and drove in one run for the Green and White
- Senior Academic All-PAC right fielder Trista Morris (Woodsfield, Ohio/Monroe Central) also collected a hit in her only at-bat
- Freshman first baseman Jenna Nolan (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) supplied the last hit for the Bison
In the Circle
- Edge held the Jackets to three hits while striking out three batters as she only needed five scoreless innings to earn her second win of the tournament
vs. No. 4 Hiram
Scoring Plays
- Bottom 5th - Sophomore left fielder Amber Dedmon (Canton, Ohio/Canton South) tied things up for the Bison with an RBI triple
- Bottom 5th - Edge lifted a sac fly to right deep enough for Dedmon to score the go-ahead run
At the Plate
- Dedmon's clutch game consisted of a double, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored as she finished 2-for-3
- Morris also went 2-for-3 with two singles to keep the Bison bats going
- Senior All-PAC shortstop Brooke Markland (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward), Kidd, and Jackson each went 1-for-3 against the Terriers
- Ziems added another hit in her big day at the plate
In the Circle
- Edge kept her team alive in the tournament after pitching seven innings where she held Hiram to one run on four hits all while tallying four strikeouts
The Bison are back in action Monday, May 4 as they continue the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament by taking on second-seeded Geneva (Pa.) College in an elimination game at 11 a.m. at the Westminster Softball Field.
