BETHANY, W.Va. – Senior 3B Andrea Thomas (Toronto, Ohio) capped a four-run fifth inning with a two-run homer and sophomore Emily Jump (Milford, Del./Polytech) tossed a four-hitter, as the Bethany College softball team took a 4-1 victory in game one of Thursday’s doubleheader with visiting Capital.
The Crusaders bounced back in a big way, scoring three runs in the fourth and fifth innings to seal a 9-0 victory that was stopped after five innings. The Bison now stand at 15-11 overall, while Capital’s record moved to 16-10.
Jump retired the first six batters she faced in the opener before the visitors scratched out a run in the third on two singles, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly. Bethany missed a chance to get on the board in the fourth inning when runners reached second and third with one out, but a ground out and pop up left them stranded and Capital still in front.
The Bison’s rally in the fifth frame started when freshman SS Kristina Massie (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) tripled with one out. Senior 2B Chelsea Butler (Cortland, Ohio/Lakeview) brought her in when she flared a single into right field. After a ground out advanced Butler to second, sophomore RF Maria Vallone (Rochester, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) put BC in front with an RBI single.
The inning wasn’t over, as the Crusaders made a pitching change. Thomas was the next batter and she hammered the first pitch she saw over the fence in left field for her third home run of the season and a 4-1 Green and White advantage.
Jump would take care of the rest, as she set down Capital in order in the fourth and fifth innings. Then she shook off a single in the sixth and a one-out double in the seventh to close out the win and improve to 8-5 for the year. She allowed one run on four hits and struck out three while not issuing a walk.
At the dish, Thomas continued to hit well, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Vallone also finished 2-for-3 with a run knocked in and one scored. Sophomore 1B Angie Varhula (West Mifflin, Pa.) ripped a pair of hits as well, including her sixth double of the season.
Game two was led by Capital from the early stages. A leadoff homer to start the second inning from Jen Reimer put the Crusaders in front and they added two runs in the third before erupting for three runs in the fourth and fifth frames to swell their cushion to 9-0. The big blow of the fifth was a two-run homer from pitcher Jessica Montgomery.
Bethany’s bats could not find a rhythm in the nightcap against Montgomery, who also started the first game and took the loss. The Bison managed just two singles from Vallone and Varhula and were unable to keep the game going after five innings.
The Bison are back in action Friday with a doubleheader at Grove City at 3 p.m. The games were originally scheduled for Saturday, but were moved up a day to try to beat the bad weather predicted this weekend.
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