Bison take one of two from Thiel to open PAC play

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

BETHANY, W.Va (March 31) - The Bethany College softball team played to a split with Thiel in both team's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opener Saturday afternoon. Bethany won the first game 5-1, before Thiel responded with a 6-2 victory in game two.

THE MATCHUP

• Game 1 Final: Bethany 5, Thield 1 (Box Score)
• Game 2 Final: Thiel 6, Bethany 2 (Box Score)
• Records: Bethany 8-6, 1-1 PAC | Thiel 6-12, 1-1 PAC
• Location: Bison Field | Bethany, West Virginia

GAME 1: Bethany 5, Thiel 1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Thiel scored the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly in the top of the first, but the Bison got the run back on their turn to bat.
• Junior Emily Folk (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) singled with one out and scored on a RBI-single by senior Ashley Narigon (Washington, Pa./McGuffey) to tie the game up.
• Bethany had its biggest inning in the second when they scored three times to open up a 4-1 lead.
• A lead-off walk setup a RBI-double by senior Jazz Fuqua (Washington, Pa./Trinity) to give Bethany a 2-1 edge. Sophomore Erica Amoroso (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) drove in Fuqua with a RBI-single and Folk followed with a double to plate Amoroso and give the Bison a 4-1 lead.
• The Green & White kept adding to its lead in the third inning when sophomore Tyra Bell (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) led the frame off with a solo home run to extend the Bison advantage to 5-1.
• The run support would be more than enough for senior pitcher Cassie Weiss (Taylorstown, Pa./McGuffey). Weiss never allowed multiple hits in an inning and held the Tomcats to three scattered hits over the final four innings.

GAME NOTES

• Weiss improved to 5-3 this season after limiting Thiel to one run on four hits with five strikeouts in a complete-game effort.
• Folk led the offense with a 3-for-3 effort at the plate, including a RBI-double.
• Bell finished with two hits, including her first home run this season. Bell has at least one base-hit in 10 of the 13 games she's played in and is hitting .341 this season.

GAME 2: Thiel 6, Bethany 2

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a scoreless first inning, the Tomcats broke through with five runs on four hits to take the lead.
• The two squads combined for two hits over the next two innings, before Thiel added to its lead on a RBI-triple in the fifth inning to extend its lead to 6-0.
• Bethany loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half of the fifth and scored on a fielder's choice to shortstop. A walk loaded the bases again when Folk came across to score on a wild pitch to make the score 6-2, but a pick-off play at third base and a strikeout ended the Bison rally.
• Bethany had a hit in each of the last two innings, but could not manufacture any runs and were forced to take the split with Thiel. 

GAME NOTES

• Senior Sam Binkley (Kenilworth, Ontario/St. James) fell to 3-3 this season, despite establishing a career-high with 10 strikeouts. She allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits and did not issue any walks.
• Freshman Gabby Capaldi (Steubenville, Ohio/Catholic Central) finished 3-for-3 to lead the Bison at the dish.

UP NEXT:

• Bethany is back on the diamond on Monday, April 2 when they travel to Marietta for a make-up date from an earlier postponement.
• The first-pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m. and fans can watch the games here.