Bison Softball Rolls On with Doubleheader Sweep of Geneva
April 23 – BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Bethany College softball team, and pitching ace Cassie Weiss (Washington, Pa./McGuffey) continued to roll on, winning for the eighth and ninth time in their last ten games, as the Bison swept a doubleheader against Geneva College on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Falls. The Bison captured game one by a 7-1 score, before taking game two, 6-2.
Weiss was nearly untouchable in the first game of the doubleheader, flirting with perfection throughout the entirety of the contest. It wasn't until the top of the seventh inning, that leadoff hitter Hayley Sainato put an end to the perfect-game bid with a bloop single. Until that time, the Bison sophomore had retired 18-straight Golden Tornado hitters.
Offensively, the Bison ace received more than enough run support as the Green & White posted 13 total hits, including three apiece from Kayla Kelly (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) and Marissa Bosley (New Martinsville, W. Va./Magnolia). The duo combined to go 6-of-9 at the dish with four RBIs and three runs scored.
The Bison went to work in the top of the first inning, as Kelly led off the game with a double to center field. Two batters later, Deanna Mihalco (Patterson, N.Y./Brewster) singled Kelly home for the game's first run. Bosley and Kylee Clark (Heath, Ohio/Lakewood) then posted back-to-back hits to load the bases, before Sarah Coss (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) brought home Mihalco with a sacrifice fly, making the score 2-0.
Bosley showed off her power in the top of the third inning, stepping to the plate with one out, and blasting a solo shot to center field. The home run gave Bosley her fourth of the season, marking a career high.
The senior backstop then produced two more runs in the top of the fourth, getting her second extra-base hit in as many innings, this time with the bases loaded. TJ Solomon (Beltsville, Md./Elizabeth Seaton) led off the frame with a single and was moved to third on a hit by Aubrey Baehr (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley). After Mihalco was hit by a pitch, Bosley brought home two runners with a double down the left-field line to expand the advantage to 5-0.
Bethany would add two more runs in the final two innings, with Kelly posting her second home run of the season, a solo shot in the top of the sixth. Sam Newfrock (Endwell, N.Y./Endicott) would score the last run for the Bison, coming across on a bunt single by Ashlee Brill (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster).
Despite giving up a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, Weiss was brilliant in the circle. The sophomore went the distance for her 16th complete-game of the season. She allowed just two hits on the day and struck out a season-high 15 batters in the process. Her victory marked the sixth-straight start in which she has posted a win (last loss coming in a 2-1 decision to Westminster).
Offensively, both Kelly and Bosley produced big games. Baehr and Clark also added multi-hit performances, while Mihalco and Coss each drove in a run.
In game two, the Green & White found themselves having to play from behind, as Geneva tallied two runs on RBI groundouts in the first and third innings to take a 2-0 advantage.
The Bison would respond in the top of the fifth inning, taking advantage of some defensive miscues by the Golden Tornadoes to load the bases with zero outs. Bosley brought in the first run on a hit by pitch, before Clark drove in a pair with a two-RBI double, giving Bethany a lead they would not relinquish.
Weiss was once again called upon to work her magic in the home half of the fifth inning, as an infield hit and an error by the Bison had loaded the bases with zero outs in the frame. Weiss came on in relief of starter Sam Binkley (Ontario, Canada/St. James) and used a force out and a pair of strikeouts to help the Green & White get out of the jam, unscathed.
In the top of the sixth, Kelly tallied her fourth extra-base hit of the doubleheader, belting a two-run shot over the right-center field wall, scoring Brill, to push the advantage to 5-2. Once again, the three-run cushion would be more than enough for Weiss, who allowed just one baserunner over the final two innings to pick up her first save of the season.
Bethany would add one more insurance run in the top of the seventh inning as Kelly drove home Emily Folk (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) with a sacrifice fly, rounding out the score at 6-2 in favor of the Bison.
Binkley pitched well in the circle to earn her a win in her second-consecutive start. The sophomore allowed just five hits and two earned while striking out three batters in the game.
Weiss also pitched well, recording the three-inning save, retiring seven of the nine possible outs via strikeout. Over the course of the double header, Weiss pitched 10 innings, allowing only three hits and striking out 22.
Offensively in the second game, Kelly continued her tare, going two-for-three with a trio of RBIs and two runs scored. Baehr added her fifth multi-hit game in her last six outings, while Clark finished with two RBIs.
In Bethany's last ten games, in which the Green & White have posted a 9-1 record, Weiss has taken her performance to another level. The sophomore has posted a 6-0 record and has tallied an earned-run average of 0.56. In eight appearances, she has thrown 37.1 innings, allowing just 15 hits and three earned runs while striking out 54 batters. Opponents are also hitting just .117 against the Bison ace in that time frame.
Offensively, the Bethany batting order has also vastly improved, hitting .345 as a team in their previous ten games. Kelly has been the catalyst for the resurgence of the offense, hitting .516 with nine extra-base hits (five doubles, a triple and three home runs). The senior is slugging 1.032 in that stretch while driving in six RBIs and scoring a team-high 11 runs.
Six different Bison who are in the every-day starting lineup are hitting at least .321 in their last ten games, including Mihalco, who has a team-high eight RBIs in that stretch.
With the wins, the Bison have moved into sole possession of third place in the regular-season conference standings at 10-4, two games behind second-place Thomas More College.
The Green & White will be back in action on Tuesday, April 26 as they travel to Westerville, Ohio for a non-conference doubleheader with Otterbein University. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
