The Beloit College softball team dropped a pair of close games to St. Norbert to open Midwest Conference play Saturday. The Green Knights topped the Buccaneers 4-3 in game one and 7-6 in the nightcap.
Callie Dutton drove in Madi Christine for all three of the Bucs' runs in the first game. After drawing a walk in the first inning, Christine advanced into scoring position on Emily Stapay's single to center, moved 60 feet away on a base on balls drawn by Ashley Lambert and touched home on Dutton's sacrifice fly to left field to knot the game 1-1 after the first inning.
SNC posted three runs courtesy of three doubles in the second inning to reclaim the lead 3-1 after two innings. The Bucs cut the lead down to one in the bottom of the third. With one out, Christine reached on a Green Knight miscue, stole second and scored on Dutton's RBI single to center field.
The margin went back to two in the top of the fourth as the Green Knights used small ball to plate their fourth run of the game.
 Christine led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and advanced into scoring position on Stapay's sacrifice bunt. Dutton tagged a double to left field to bring her in and narrow the gap to one, 4-3 but the Bucs' were unable to push across the tying run.
Dutton went 2-for-2 at the plate with three runs batted in while Christine was 1-for-3 with three runs scored.
Alyssa Boltik went the distance in the circle scattering seven hits in seven innings of work.
The offenses took a while to get going in the second game as SNC was able to push two runs across and the Buccaneers one run through the first five innings.
The Green Knights busted the game open with five runs in the top of the sixth courtesy of four hits with the help of two BC miscues but the Bucs didn't fold.
Down to their final three outs, Beloit rallied to match SNC's five-run sixth. Boltik led off the inning with a single to left field. Dani Strejc reached on an error in the next at bat. Kat Grzeszkiewicz singled up the middle and as the center fielder bobbled, Boltik came around third to score. With one out, Christine drew a walk to load the bases. A foul in the next at bat led to a run after the fielder carried the ball out of play allowing all of the Bucs on the basepaths to move up 60 feet. Another run came in on Lambert's single to left field that put runners on the corners. Dutton drew a base on balls to load the bases once again and another Green Knight miscue allowed two runners to touch home to pull Beloit to within one, 7-6 with two outs. Boltik put the ball in play with a grounder up the middle that SNC's shortstop dove to stop. She reached over to touch second just before Bre Noack reached the base for the final out.
Beloit tallied five hits in the game, all off the bats of different Bucs. Boltik re-entered the circle in relief allowing just two earned runs in four innings of work to suffer the loss. Makayla Zundel got the start striking out two in the first three innings on the mound.
On Deck: The Bucs will host Lawrence for a doubleheader Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
