BETHANY, WV – A pair of stellar pitching performances from sophomore Emily Jump (Milford, Del./Polytech) and senior Cortney Newland (Carmichaels, Pa.) propelled the Bethany College softball team to 1-0 and 4-1 victories over Thomas More Friday, which also lifted the Bison into first place in the PAC.
Bethany (23-13, 11-1) picked up the only run it needed in the second inning of game one when senor 3B Andrea Thomas (Toronto, Ohio) hammered a leadoff home run to left field, her fourth of the season. The Bison had a chance to add on to their advantage after loading the bases with one out, but a force out on the runner at home and ground out kept it a one-run game.
In the circle, Jump was cruising from the outset. Thomas More (21-11, 10-2) had a single to lead off the first inning, but not get another hit until the sixth. Jump did walk two batters in the fourth, but ended the inning with a pop up to third base. The Saints then put two runners on in the sixth with a pair of singles, but a pop up and fielder’s choice extinguished the threat.
In the seventh, Jump (13-6) completed her third shutout of the season with a 1-2-3 inning. She allowed only three hits in the contest and struck out four while walking three. At the plate, in addition to Thomas’ blast, sophomore RF Maria Vallone (Rochester, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) posted a pair of singles.
The nightcap once again saw BC strike for the only runs they would need in the second inning. Sophomore 1B Angie Varhula (West Mifflin, Pa.) stroked an RBI double to score senior CF Cortney Lax (Orrville, Ohio), who had singled to start the frame. Then with two outs, senior 2B Chelsea Butler (Cortland, Ohio/Lakeview) singled in one run and that was followed by a two-run triple off the bat of freshman SS Kristina Massie (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) to take Bethany’s lead to 4-0.
The Saints managed to put their first run of the day on the board in the third when back-to-back walks was followed by an RBI single from DP Samantha Ladenburger to trim the Bison lead to 4-1. That was all TMC was going to manage off Newland, who gave up two-out singles in the fifth and sixth frames, but blanked the Saints over the final four innings to put the win away. Her record improved to 10-6 for the year with the three-hitter and she finished with four punchouts and a pair of walks.
Massie’s big two-run triple served the pivotal hit of the game and she also chipped in a single, while Vallone made it consecutive two-hit games with a pair of singles as well.
With the victories, Bethany is now in the driver’s seat to earn the top seed and home field advantage for next weekend’s PAC Tournament. However, there is still work to be done, beginning Saturday when the Bison travel to Washington & Jefferson (6-16, 1-7) for a conference twinbill at 1 p.m.
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