Softball splits extra inning games Thursday at PFX Spring Games

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

CLERMONT, Fla. (March 16) – The Bison split a pair of extra-inning games on their fifth day of competition at the PFX Spring Games at Hancock Park. Bethany dropped a 1-0 nine-inning game to Hood (Maryland), before earning a walk-off 9-8 win in eight innings over Salve Regina (Rhode Island) Thursday morning.

The Bethany College softball team moves to 3-7 overall during their Florida trip.

GAME 2: Bethany 9, Salve Regina 8 (Final/8 Innings)

The Bison rallied from down four runs in the sixth inning to claim a 9-8 win over Salve Regina in eight innings.

The Seahawks opened the game with a 3-0 lead, before a three-run third inning by Bethany knotted the score up. The Bison connected on a trio of two-out RBI base hits by junior Aubrey Baehr (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley), sophomore Sammie Weiss (Avella, Pa./McGuffey) and senior Sarah Coss (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) that evened the game at 3-3.

Salve Regina plated three runs in the fifth inning to take a 6-3 lead, but the Bison got one of them back with the help of an error to trail 6-4 after five innings.

The Seahawks built their lead to 8-4 with two more runs in the sixth inning, before the Bison began their rally. Bethany had runners on first and second with two outs when Coss and freshman Kayla Dinsmore (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) each drove in runs to cut the deficit to 8-6 heading into the final inning.

After Salve Regina was retired in order, the Bison put the tying runners on second and third, but were down to their final out. Baehr came through with a two-RBI single to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

The Seahawks failed to drive in a run in the top of the eighth, opening the door for Bethany. With a runner placed on second base to begin the frame (international tiebreaker rule), sophomore Francesca Capaldi (Steubenville, Ohio/Catholic Central) drove a single into right field to push the game-winning run across and secure a Bison win.

Five Bison tallied multiple hits in the victory. Baehr was the team's top hitter, finishing with three hits, including two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored. Weiss added three hits, two runs scored and a RBI, while Coss, Dinsmore and Capaldi each finished with two hits. Coss also added a pair of RBI to her final line.

Junior Sam Binkley (Kenilworth, Ontario/St. James) earned the win in relief. She held yielded seven runs (six earned) over 7.0 innings of work with a pair of strikeouts to pick up the victory in the circle.

GAME 1: Hood 1, Bethany 0 (Final/9 innings)

Despite a career-high 19 strikeouts from junior Cassie Weiss (Avella, Pa./McGuffey), the Bison were dealt a 1-0 loss in nine innings in their first game on Thursday morning.

Weiss (2-3) held Hood to one run (zero earned) on two hits and zero walks to go along with her 19-strikeout performance.

Hood walked off Bethany in the ninth inning on an RBI-double that plated the runner placed on second base to begin the inning, per international tiebreaker rules.

Sammie Weiss led the Bison at the plate with two hits. The Bison hitters were held to four hits and struck out 12 times against Hood pitcher Kayli Paugh.

Bethany will wrap-up its Florida trip tomorrow, Friday March 17 when they take on Marywood at 8 a.m. and Millikin at 10:30 a.m.