Deanna Mihalco/Aubrey Baehr Power Bison Softball to Doubleheader Sweep of Thiel
April 20 – BETHANY, W. Va. – The Bethany College softball team improved to 6-4 in Presidents' Athletic Conference action as they swept the Tomcats of Thiel College in doubleheader action on Wednesday. The Bison won game one, 5-2, before senior Deanna Mihalco (Patterson, N.Y./Brewster) powered Bethany to a 4-3 win with a walk-off home run in game two.
In game one, the Bison got on the board first in the home half of the third inning, striking for a run on a pair of hits. Senior Ashlee Brill (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) opened the inning with a single to left and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Kayla Kelly (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame). Mihalco then drove Brill home with her first of two RBIs in the game, making the score 1-0.
The Tomcats would respond in the top of the fifth inning, getting three of their four hits off of starter Cassie Weiss (Washington, Pa./McGuffey). However, it was a fielding error by the Bison that allowed the Tomcats to tie the game, before a single from Alexa Fike drove in the second run, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead.
Like they did throughout the course of the doubleheader, the top of the Bison order had something to say about the deficit, as Bethany responded with a pair of runs of their own in the home half of the fifth.
Senior TJ Solomon (Beltsville, Md./Elizabeth Seton) opened the bottom of the fifth with a single. After Jazmine Keller (Glen Easton, W. Va./John Marshall) came on to pinch run, she was moved to second on a sac bunt by Brill.
The Green & White then totaled three-straight singles from Kelly, Aubrey Baehr (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley) and Mihalco, which resulted in a pair of runs. Baehr singled home Keller from third, while Mihalco knocked in her second RBI of the game, bringing home Kelly, to give the Bison a 3-2 lead.
The lead would be more than enough for Weiss, who retired the last seven batters that she faced, in order. However, the Bison would add two more runs for good measure.
A Solomon double, her second hit of the game, placed runners on second and third base with just one out, before the top of the order, once again, went to work.
With two outs in the inning, Kelly posted her first RBI of the game, singling home Sarah Coss (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) to push the lead to 4-2. Baehr then totaled her second RBI single of the game, driving home Solomon to round out the scoring at 5-2.
In game one, the Bison's one-through-three hitters combined to go 6-of-9 at the plate with five RBIs and a run scored. Mihalco and Baehr each tallied two hits and two RBIs, while Kelly snagged a pair of hits, a RBI and scored a run.
On the mound, Weiss was once again terrific, earning her ninth victory of the season. The sophomore didn't allow an earned run as she threw her 14th complete game of the year. Weiss allowed just five baserunners throughout the game, surrendering four hits and striking out seven.
In game two, the Bison once again relied on Mihalco and Baehr to provide the difference, and the duo responded in a big way.
The Tomcats got on the board first in the top of the first inning, as Miranda Reesman cracked a two-run homer over the right field fence off of starting pitcher Sam Binkley (Ontario, Canada/St. James).
The home run was the only blemish of the day for Binkley, who produced a solid performance, overall, and left the game in the sixth inning in line for her third win of the season. The sophomore finished the game allowing just one earned run on four hits in five full innings of work.
The Bison bats woke up in the mid innings of the game, getting a run back in the fourth on a fielding error, before taking the lead with a two-spot in the fifth.
Solomon again set the table for success for the Green & White, opening the inning with a single. Keller again pinch ran for the right fielder and was moved to second on a bunt single by Brill. After a sacrifice by Kelly moved the pair to second and third, Baehr singled to right field, plating both runners to give Bethany a 3-2 lead.
In the next half inning, Weiss, who came in to relieve Binkley in the sixth, made her only mistake of the day, giving up a solo shot to Reesman, tying the game at 3-3. The homer marked the second of the day for the Tomcat shortstop.
The game would remain tied until the bottom of the seventh inning, setting up the Mihalco heroics.
With one out in the home half of the seventh, Mihalco stepped in against Thiel starter Brianna Flynn. After taking a strike, Mihalco pulled one just foul down the left field line to put herself in an 0-2 hole. Then, after fouling off a pitch, the senior first baseman got one over the heart of the plate and lifted it over the left-center field fence, giving the Bison the 4-3, walk-off winner.
The home run was the first of the season for the Bison senior, giving her eight for her career. She finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with a RBI and a run scored.
Baehr tallied her second multi-hit game of the day, finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Other hits for the Green & White came from Kylee Clark (Heath, Ohio/Lakewood), Ashley Narigon (Washington, Pa./McGuffey), Solomon and Brill.
The Bison, who improved their record to 6-4 in PAC play, will continue conference action on Thursday, April 21, as they play host to the Wolverines of Grove City College. The matchup is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start.
