Softball team picks up first conference loss, ranked 24th in nation, 3rd in central region
By Ben Risinger, SID
April 12, 2004
The Bluffton College softball team (20-4, 7-1 HCAC) is currently ranked 24th in country by the NFCA and 3rd in the Central Region by the NCAA. The Beavers dropped two contests last week and are tied for first place in the Heartland Conference with Franklin College. Last Tuesday the Beavers split with Thomas More as they lost game one 5-4 and picked up the nightcap in extra innings 7-6. Bluffton split with Mount St. Joseph on Friday with a 3-1 win and 8-1 loss. On Saturday the team traveled to Transylvania University where they picked up the twinbill with two wins, 4-0 and 2-1.
Junior Allison Lange (Archbold/Archbold) continues to lead the Beaver’s bats for 2004. She leads in several hitting categories with a .500 batting average, runs (21), hits (33), doubles (7), four home runs, total bases (54), slugging percentage (.818) and RBI’s (19). She ranks second in the conference in batting average, total bases, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. She ranks among the top ten in several other individual offensive categories. Mandy Snider (.362) and Amanda Payne (.333) both post batting averages of .300 or better for Bluffton. Junior catcher Michelle Pleiman (Yorkshire/Minster) leads the Beavers with only four errors in 209 putouts for the season for a .983 fielding percentage.
The Beaver pitcher, sophomore Sarah Betts (Bryan/Bryan) leads Bluffton with a 0.87 ERA and a 19-3 record from the mound for the season. Betts picked up her seventh shutout of the year in the Beavers 4-0 win over HCAC foe Mount St. Joseph. For the season she has struck out 189 batters in 144.1 innings pitched, giving up only 75 hits, 22 walks and 34 runs. She is second in the Heartland Conference in ERA and leads the conference in opposing batting average, innings pitched, strikeouts, strikeouts looking, total wins and appearances.
As a team, the Beavers post a .263 batting average and .336 slugging percentage. Bluffton
posts 43 errors defensively for a .934 fielding percentage. This is the third straight week that the Beavers’ fielding percentage has continued to improve.
Bluffton will be back in action this Wednesday when they host Case Western Reserve for a non-conference doubleheader. Start time is scheduled for 3:30 pm. The Beavers then host conference co-leader Franklin College in a doubleheader on Saturday. Game time is scheduled for noon.
