Bison Softball Earns Split With Thomas More
April 27 – BETHANY, W. Va. – The Bethany College softball team kept pace in the Presidents' Athletic Conference regular-season standings as the Green & White earned a split with Thomas More College on Wednesday afternoon. The Bison dropped the first game, 4-0, before winning the night cap by a 4-3 score.
In game one, the Bison offense found themselves stymied as Thomas More ace Mamee Salzer put together a two-hit shutout to help the Saints put together a 4-0 victory. The lone hits for the Green & White came from Sarah Coss (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) and Kayla Kelly (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame).
Coss broke up the no-hit bid with a single to left field in the fifth inning. Kelly then produced her seventh, extra-base hit in the last five games with a double to left-center field in the sixth inning.
Sophomore Cassie Weiss (Washington, Pa./McGuffey) pitched well, picking up her 17th complete-game of the season. She allowed just three earned runs in seven innings of work while striking out a pair.
After holding the Bison to two hits in the opening game, Salzar came back out to start game two. However, this time the Green & White jumped on her quickly, producing three runs in the first inning.
Kelly led off the inning with a double to left field, and, after being moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Aubrey Baehr (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley), scored on a wild pitch to give Bethany a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, senior Marissa Bosley (New Martinsville, W. Va./Magnolia) smashed a two-run home run over the left-center field fence, to extend the lead to 3-0.
With the help of four hits and an error on the Bison in the top of the third inning, the visiting Saints came back to tie the game off of starter Sam Binkley (Ontario, Canada/St. James). The tying runs came across on the error, knotting the game at 3-3 until the bottom of the sixth inning.
Over the next three innings, the Saints would threaten with hits in each frame. However, Binkley pitched well in tight spots, keeping Thomas More off the board to give Bethany a chance at a victory.
With one out in the home half of the sixth, Bosley reached base for the second time in the game with an infield single. After moving to second base on a groundout, Bosley came around to score on a two-out double by Sarah Coss, giving the Bison the lead back at 4-3.
Looking to nail down a win in her third-consecutive start, Binkley made quick work of the Saints in the seventh, retiring the top of the Saints' lineup in order to preserve the 4-3 win and earn the split for the Green & White.
Binkley was solid in the circle throughout the day, allowing just one earned run over seven innings. She struck out one and walked just one batter while earning her seventh complete game of the season.
Offensively, Bosley led the way for the Bison, totaling a pair of hits, a home run, two RBIs and a pair of runs scored, including the game winner in the sixth. Kelly, Baehr, Coss and TJ Solomon (Beltsville, Md./Elizabeth Seaton) tallied the remaining for hits for the Green & White.
The Bison currently sit tied in the PAC standings with Saint Vincent College at 11-5 on the year. Both the Bison and Bearcats are one game in the loss column ahead of Washington & Jefferson for the final two spots in the PAC Championship Tournament standings. The Bison and Bearcats will square off for the final doubleheader of the regular season on Saturday, April 30 in Latrobe. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
