Beavers win one game against Ohio Northern for the week
By Molly Burnell, sports information assistant
March 21, 2005
The Bluffton University softball team (5-3) split their lone doubleheader against Ohio Northern University last week. The Polar Bears won the first game 4-2 before the Beavers came back to win the nightcap 2-1. Bluffton will be at home on Tuesday, March 16, as they host Denison University (3 p.m. start). The team will then travel to Alma College on Friday, March 25 and Kalamazoo College on Saturday, March 26. The Alma doubleheader is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start with the Kalamazoo games starting at 2 p.m.
Bluffton led 1-0 early on in game one against ONU until the Polar Bears scored four runs in the top of the seventh to take the lead 4-1. Bluffton scored one run in the bottom of the seventh, but could not finish the game and lost the contest 4-2. In game two ONU came out strong and scored the first run to take a 1-0 lead. A game tying home run by senior Michelle Pleiman (Yorkshire/Minster) tied the game at one all in the bottom of the fifth inning. Senior Mandy Snider (Wapakoneta/Wapakoneta) was walked in the sixth inning and scored the game winning run off of an error by the Polar Bear’s first basemen. The Beavers went on to win the second contest 2-1.
Leading the way for Bluffton offensively on the week was sophomore Carrie Weisbecker (Okeana/Ross) with three hits; Mandy Snider recorded two hits on the week.
Freshman Tonya Dean (Kettering/Fairmount) recorded her first collegiate win on the mound this week as she struck out one, walked one batter, and gave up five hits in the win against ONU. Junior pitcher Sarah Betts (Bryan/Bryan) struck out four batters and gave up nine hits against Ohio Northern to pick up her third loss of the season.
Leading the Beavers offensively on the season is Mandy Snider with a .357 batting average; she also totals 4 RBI’s and 10 hits on the year. Carrie Weisbecker posts a .350 batting average and a .409 on base average. On the mound Sarah Betts posts a 1.32 era in 42.1 innings pitched and Tonya Dean posts a 1.66 era in 12.2 innings.
