Bison take second game to earn split with Marietta

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

BETHANY, W.Va. (March 23) – The Bethany College softball team earned a 9-2 win over Marietta to split a non-conference doubleheader. Marietta took the first game 5-1 to begin the day at Bison Field.

The Bison move to 5-9 overall, while the Pioneers slide to 6-10 this season.

GAME 2: Bethany 9, Marietta 2 (Final/6 innings)

Bethany scored runs in each of the final five innings to secure a 9-2 win over Marietta in game two at Bison Field.

The Bison took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a successful squeeze play. Junior Jazz Fuqua (Washington, Pa./Trinity) laid down a bunt to score freshman Kaitlyn Mills (New Lexington, Ohio/Crooksville), who came charging in from third base.

The Pioneers answered back with a pair of runs in the top of the third to take the lead at 2-1, but the Marietta lead did not last long. Bethany evened the score in the bottom half of the frame on a RBI-single by freshman Sammie Weiss (Avella, Pa./McGuffey) and took a 3-2 lead on a RBI-single by junior Aubrey Baehr (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley) in the fourth inning.

Bethany broke the game open in the fifth and sixth innings. RBI hits by sophomore Emily Folk (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) and Fuqua pushed the Bison lead to 5-3 in the fifth and a four-run sixth put the game out of reach. Freshman Kayla Dinsmore (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) had the big hit in the sixth, a RBI-double off of the fence that plated two runs.

Following the end of the sixth inning, the home plate umpire called the game due to darkness.

Junior Cassie Weiss (Avella, Pa./McGuffey) earned the win in the circle. Weiss (4-4) limited Marietta to two runs on four hits with three strikeouts over 6.0 innings of work.

Baehr was the team's top hitter with three hits, including a triple, and an RBI. Dinsmore and Fuqua each drove in two runs in the win, Folk ended the game with two hits and two runs scored, while Mills finished the evening with three runs scored.

GAME 1: Marietta 5, Bethany 1

The Bison were unable to recover from a five-run first inning by the Pioneers in the team's 5-1 loss in the first game.

Marietta tagged the Bison for five runs on five hits, but Bethany starting pitcher Sam Binkley (Kenilworth, Ontario/St. James) stranded the bases loaded to limit the damage.

Bethany was held in-check by the Pioneers until the seventh inning. Mills kept the game going with a two-out double and sophomore Francesca Capaldi (Steubenville, Ohio/Catholic Central) found a hole through the right side of the infield to push across a run, before the final out was recorded.

Binkley took the loss for the Bison after allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits with one strikeout in a complete-game effort.

Capaldi was the team's top hitter in the loss, finishing with two hits and a RBI.

The Bison are back on the diamond on Monday, March 27 when they host Capital for a non-conference doubleheader starting at 3:30 p.m.