The Beavers end their season with a 19-19 overall record to extend their streak to three straight seasons with a record at or above the .500 mark, having collected 59 wins over that stretch.
Bluffton entered the double elimination tournament as the #4 seed, but was dealt a 1-0 loss by #5 seed Manchester College in their first game. Manchester would go on to top #1 seed Hanover and hand #2 seed Mount St. Joseph two losses to win their first HCAC softball title.
In the tourney lid lifter on Friday, Manchester scored one unearned run in the fifth inning and it would hold up for the duration as the Beavers dropped a 1-0 decision to the eventual HCAC champs. Emily Kurtz pitched all seven innings and scattered six hits, while the BC offense produced five hits. BC looked to be near a come-from-behind victory in their final at bat as Erin Cook doubled and Jamie King singled, but both were left stranded as Bluffton saw their tournament trail head for the bottom bracket.
On Friday evening, Bluffton posted a 3-0 victory over Franklin College as the Beavers stayed alive in the tournament to move within one game of reaching the finals of the bottom bracket. Stacy Herr allowed just four hits and struck out four as she pitched a seven-inning shutout. BC scored all three of their runs in the final two innings as Elizabeth Snavely knocked an RBI single in the sixth inning and Bree Wood and Amber Fitzwater both singled in the seventh inning before being driven home by a single from Herr and a triple from King.
Bluffton put forth a gutsy effort in the next game, but Hanover, the #1 seed, eliminated the Beavers with a 5-3 win in 10 innings in the bottom bracket semi-finals. Both teams were held scoreless through the first six innings before Hanover scored two unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 2-0 lead. However, with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, BC freshman Steph Rush drilled a two-RBI double to tie the game, scoring Paula Fry and Amber Fitzwater.
Hanover loaded the bases with two outs in their half of the eighth inning, but Kurtz, who pitched all ten innings, got herself out of the jam with a fly out. Bluffton wouldn’t be as fortunate in the tenth inning, though, as Hanover scored three runs and scored just one run themselves in the bottom of the tenth as Bluffton saw their season come to a close.
Final statistics and all-conference selections will be released shortly.
