The Beloit College softball team wrapped up play in the NTC Spring Games in the Orlando area with a walkoff win over the University of New England. The nine-inning affair ended on Emily Stapay's walkoff single that gave the Buccaneers an 8-7 victory to finish out the trip with a 5-5 record.
 
The Bucs opened Friday with a tough 18-10, five-inning, loss to William Paterson. A big first inning for the Pioneers would be all WPU would need in the game. Beloit didn't fold after giving up the big inning, scoring three runs in the second, posting two more in the third and plating five in the top of the fifth. The Bucs tallied 15 hits in the contest led by perfect 3-for-3 performances from Madi Christine, Callie Dutton and Emily Stapay. Stapay, who notched the team's first dinger of the year in the game, added four runs batted in and two runs scored while Dutton tallied three runs scored.
 
The night cap was a back-and-forth affair that took extra innings to complete. UNE struck first taking advantage of a Buccaneer miscue to plate the first run of the game. Alyssa Morris made up for the error at the plate belting a homerun, her first of the season, to tie the game 1-1 in the bottom of the first.
 
In the top of the third, UNE plated two runs, the first on a wild pitch and the second on a single to left field to take a 3-1 advantage. After two scoreless, Dutton's hot bat knotted the game 3-3 on a double down the left field line that allowed Stephannie Lopez and Christine to touch home. The pair had reached on back-to-back singles to open the frame.
 
The teams traded runs in the sixth to head into the final inning of regulation with the score tied 4-4. Alyssa Boltik sat the first to UNE batters down with a strikeout and a groundout. A walk was a short-lived opportunity as catcher Ashley Lambert and shortstop Kat Grzeszkiewicz teamed up to catch the runner attempting to swipe second base.
 
The Bucs threatened in the bottom of the inning as Dutton tagged a two-out single. Emily Clinkscales drew a pinch hit walk to put two on but the Bucs couldn't drive the runs across.
 
With the international tie-breaker rule in place, UNE sent their last out to second base to start their offensive end of the frame in the top of the eighth. A fielder's choice had both UNE players reaching and advancing safely to put runners on the corners. Dutton snagged the next hard ground ball, checked and caught the UNE runner at third off too far. Dutton turned and dove catching the runner diving back to third with her glove before she was able to get back to the bag safely to register the first out of the innings. A single through the left side loaded the bases and UNE pushed a run across on another single up the middle to take a 5-4 lead. With the bases loaded, Dutton came up with a big play again, charging on a short ground ball and flipping the ball backhand to Lambert at home to keep the margin at one run. Boltik struck the next batter out to bring Beloit back to the bats.
 
For the Bucs', Stapay headed to second to begin the innings. Makayla Zundel perfectly executed the sacrifice bunt to move Stapay to third. Stapay came in to score on Dani Strejc's RBI single to right field to send the teams into the ninth.
 
In the top of the inning, UNE moved the runner via a sac bunt. A hard shot up the middle that went off of Boltik's leg was picked up by Dutton at third who gunned the batter out at first but the run still crossed to give UNE a 6-5 lead. A Beloit miscue followed by a double to right center brought in another run to make it 7-5 but the Bucs got out of the inning before any more damage was done.
 
The Bucs refused to fold. Morris headed to second to open the inning as Lambert headed to plate. Unable to find her rhythm in the box for most of the game, the senior got the one that counted, a single up the middle that put runners on the corners and kept the Bucs' hopes to continue the game alive. Kaitlynn Taft came in to run for Lambert at first. Dutton continued to roll tagging a ball that bounced off the wall in right center for a double. Morris scored easily and Taft was booking it, taking a big turn at third, hesitating to take a peek at the throw and taking off for home. The throw was online and the catcher set up to receive as Taft dove in headfirst getting a hand in on the plate. The umpire signaled safe as the ball fell uncaught and the Bucs had a tie game, 7-7, with no outs and a runner on second. Boltik laid down a pretty bunt to move Dutton 60 feet away from the game-winning score. Dialed in at the plate, Stapay was unfazed by the late inning pressure sending the pitch back up the middle for a single that had Dutton crossing home for the walkoff win.
 
Dutton was 4-for-5 in the game with four runs batted in and the game-winning run. She went 7-for-8 on the day in the batter's box. Stapay was 3-for-5 in the box adding two runs scored and the game-winning RBI.
 
Boltik picked up the complete game win on the mound allowed four earned runs while striking out four in nine innings of work.