Bethany eliminated from PAC Tournament

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (May 4) - The Bethany College softball team was eliminated from the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Tournament after losses to Thomas More and Saint Vincent on the first day of the event. The Bison lost 9-1 (five innings) to host-Thomas More in the opener, before falling to Saint Vincent 3-1 in an elimination game. The games were the final of Head Coach Jan Forsty's 31-year career at Bethany.

THE MATCHUP

• Game 1: No. 1 Thomas More 9, No. 4 Bethany 1 (Box Score)
• Game 2: No. 3 Saint Vincent 3, No. 4 Bethany 1 (Box Score)
• Records: Bethany 17-18 | Thomas More 28-13 | Saint Vincent 22-9
• Location: Thomas More Field | Crestview Hills, Kentucky

Game 1: Thomas More 9, Bethany 1 (Final - 5 Innings)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Thomas More took advantage of an infield error in the first inning with two outs to take a 1-0 lead early in the game.
• Offense was at a premium for the Bison, as senior Jazz Fuqua (Washington, Pa./Trinty) notched Bethany's first-hit in the third inning.
• The Saints broke the game open with five runs on five hits and one error in the fourth inning to take a 6-0 advantage.
• The Bison scored their lone run of the game in the top of the fifth when Fuqua executed a safety-squeeze bunt that scored sophomore Kaitlyn Mills (New Lexington, Ohio/Crooksville).
• Thomas More manufactured three runs in the bottom of the fifth with the help of three walks to close out the contest and earn the run-rule win.

GAME NOTES

• Senior Sam Binkley (Kenilworth, Ontario/St. James) took the loss after yielding nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits with three strikeouts.
• Fuqua had two of the team's four hits, including an RBI in the loss. 

Game 2: Saint Vincent 3, Bethany 1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both offenses were held in-check early in the game. Binkley managed to keep the Bearcats without a hit through three innings, but the Bison could only scatter a pair of hits of their own.
• Although the Bison put runners in scoring position with two outs in the fourth following a double off of the foot of the left field wall by senior Ashley Narigon (Washington, Pa./McGuffey), they were unable to push anyone across to keep the game scoreless.
• Saint Vincent put two runners on with an error and a hit batsman in the bottom of the fourth. The Bearcats got their first hit off of Binkley with two outs to score the game's first run and take a 1-0 lead.
• Saint Vincent added to its lead in the fifth inning with two more runs on three hits to push its advantage to 3-0.
• The Bison deficit remained the same heading into the seventh inning. Sophomore Lauren Maichle (Newark, Del./Delaware Military Academy) notched a one-out pinch-hit single and scored on a RBI-single by junior Fran Capaldi (Steubenville, Ohio/Catholic Central) to bring the potential tying-run to the plate, but an infield ground out ended the threat and the game.

GAME NOTES

• Binkley (11-13) took the loss in her final game, despite limiting the Bearcats to three runs (two earned) on five hits with three strikeouts.
• She wraps up her career sixth all-time at Bethany with 257 strikeouts.
• The game also marked the final game of Head Coach Jan Forsty's 31-year coaching career. Forsty sits 15th all-time in NCAA Division III with 767 career victories. 
• Following the game, the PAC and the other head coaches in attendance recognized Forsty for her accomplishments and congratulated her on her retirement from coaching.