BETHANY, W.Va. – Senior 3B Andrea Thomas (Toronto, Ohio) singled in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh for a 2-1 win and then went 4-for-4 with a two-run homer in the nightcap, as the Bethany College softball team completed a sweep over Saint Vincent with a 7-2 triumph.
The wins raised BC’s records to 14-10 overall and 3-1 in the PAC, while the Bearcats dropped to 11-7 and 2-6 in the conference.
The pitchers controlled much of the opening game. The only run until late came in the third inning when with two outs, Saint Vincent pieced together three consecutive singles to scratch out a run for a 1-0 advantage. Bethany’s best chance came in the fourth when sophomore RF Maria Vallone (Rochester, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) walked and Thomas singled to open the frame and they were sacrificed into scoring position. But SVC starter Shauna Hetrick escaped the jam with a grounder back to her and a pop up.
Bethany entered the seventh inning down a run and with just four hits to its credit. But both of those situations changed immediately when senior LF Cortney Lax (Orrville, Ohio) belted a leadoff home run to even the score at 1-1. It was Lax’s fourth career long ball, three of which have come against Saint Vincent.
The game-winning rally picked up more steam when sophomore pitcher Emily Jump (Milford, Del./Polytech) and freshman SS Kristina Massie (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) hit back-to-back singles after Lax’s blast. Following a sacrifice bunt and a strike out, BC was one out away from going to extra innings. But Bethany ended it in the seventh when Vallone walked to load the bases and Thomas dropped a single into right field to plate the winning run.
Thomas was the lone Bison to have multiple hits, as she was 3-for-4. Picking up the victory was Jump, who tossed all seven innings and allowed one run on six hits. She struck out five and walked two, as she improved her record to 7-5.
Game two also had the look of a low-scoring match-up until a late Bethany explosion. The Bison went in front 2-0 with solo runs in the second and third innings. In the second, senior 2B Chelsea Butler (Cortland, Ohio/Lakeview) stayed in an intentional rundown long enough to allow Lax to sprint home from third base. Then in the third, sophomore DP Angie Varhula (West Mifflin, Pa.) smacked an RBI double that brought in Vallone for a 2-0 lead.
Saint Vincent clipped one run off its deficit on a Becky Deane RBI single in the third, but the scored remained 2-1 in Bethany’s favor until the sixth. That’s when the Green and White erupted for four runs, all with two outs. Two runners scored when Saint Vincent committed two errors on one play and Thomas followed by crushing a two-run homer, her second of the year, to make it a 6-1 score.
The Bison tacked on one more run in the seventh on an RBI double from sophomore CF Alison Powell (Nashport, Ohio/Tri-Valley). Saint Vincent managed a run in the last of the seventh to make the final difference 7-2. Senior pitcher Cortney Newland (Carmichaels, Pa.) earned the victory to go to 7-4 this year by allowing two runs, one earned, on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
At the plate, Bethany pounded out 12 hits, including 10 singles. Thomas, who was 7-for-8 in the twinbill, was a perfect 4-for-4 in game two with two RBIs and one run scored. Powell and Butler also collected a pair of hits in the victory.
The Bison will return to the diamond Wednesday with a PAC doubleheader at Waynesburg with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
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