Beavers go 4-4 in Heartland Conference action on the week
By Chad Hochstetler, sports information assistant
May 2, 2005
The Bluffton University softball team (20-11, 7-6 HCAC) split each series during the week against HCAC opponents to finish 4-4. The first two HCAC series were at home for the Beavers. In game one against rival Defiance, Bluffton lost 3-2 in eight innings and took the nightcap 9-5. Bluffton split with Transylvania as they lost the first game 2-0. The Beavers hitting came alive in game two as the team scored ten runs in the first inning alone. The final score would be 13-5 in favor of the Beavers.
Bluffton finished their last two HCAC series on the road at Anderson and Franklin. Anderson took game one from Bluffton 2-1. Again the Beavers responded in game two as they defeated the Ravens 4-1. The regular season series finale at Franklin looked promising as Bluffton took the first game 9-1 in five innings. However, the Beavers fell behind early in the nightcap and could not recover as they lost to the Grizzlies 9-7.
Senior Mandy Snider (Wapakoneta/Wapakoneta) continues to lead Bluffton with a .385 batting average. Snider leads the Beavers with 20 runs on 40 hits and 17 RBI’s. Sophomore Carrie Weisbecker (Okeana/Ross) ranks second on the team in hitting with a .325 average. Weisbecker totals 15 runs, 27 hits and 12 RBI’s on the season. Senior Allison Lange (Archbold/Archbold) posts a .311 batting average and has recorded 13 runs and 23 hits on the year.
Junior pitcher Sarah Betts (Bryan/Bryan) leads the pitching staff with a 1.14 ERA and 148 strikeouts. Betts has given up 79 hits and 40 runs in 140.2 innings pitched; she owns an 14-8 record on the mound. Freshman Tonya Dean (Kettering/Farimount) posts a 2.02 ERA with a 6-2 pitching record. Dean has given up 48 hits and 21 runs in 52 innings.
The Beavers will be back in action May 6-7 at the Heartland Conference Tournament in Indianapolis, Ind. Check online at www.blufftonbeavers.com for more information and tournament pairings.
