The Beloit College softball team split their home opening doubleheader to Ripon College Tuesday afternoon. The Redhawks took game one 13-6 but the Buccaneers responded with a 12-4, six-inning victory in the nightcap.
Gusty winds made even routine plays more interesting Tuesday afternoon. Ripon capitalized on a pair of Beloit miscues to post three runs in the top of the first. The Bucs battled back to plate five runs on four hits with the help of two Redhawk errors in the bottom half of the inning to take a 5-3 lead.
Ripon's offense found the timely hits to push multiple runs across in three of the next six innings. Beloit continued to hit but struggled to bring in runs leading to the 13-6 final.
Cora Aubert,
Emily Stapay and
Isabel Johnson each registered two hits in the contest while
Mackenzie Shawback knocked in a pair of runs to lead Beloit offensively.
Aubert suffered the loss in the circle to move to 1-1 on the season.
Beloit turned the tables on Ripon in game two. Although the Redhawks struck first with a solo run in the top of the second, the Bucs the answer with two big innings. After knotting the game 1-1 in the bottom of the second, Ripon struck again in the top of the third taking a 4-1 advantage. The Bucs' bats came alive in the bottom half of the frame.
Aubert sparked the offense with a one-out double to right center. Bri Arteaga laid down a perfect bunt to advance the runner but was also able to reach safely via a Ripon miscue. The Bucs took advantage of with
Kaitlynn Taft,
Alyssa Morris and
Maddie Moser notching consecutive singles to plate two runs. Stapay drew a walk to load the bases and force a Redhawk change in the circle.
Shawback watched ball four and headed to first base with an RBI base on balls when
Ella Diers strode to the plate for a pinch hit appearance. A fielder's choice tallied an RBI and Johnson wrapped up Beloit's huge innings with a single through the right side that brought in one more to make it 7-4 Beloit.
The Bucs showcased some more small ball in the bottom of of the fifth to extend the lead. Moser led off the frame with a well hit ball to right center that landed her at second. She advanced to third on a passed ball. Then, with a strike on her, Diers laid down a nifty bunt as Moser sprinted home for the perfectly executed squeeze play. The bunt landed in the Bermuda Triangle of the infield with the catcher, third baseman and pitcher collapsing on the ball simultaneously allowing all the Bucs on the basepaths to be safe.
As darkness approached quickly, the Bucs needed to plate four runs in the bottom of the sixth to secure the win via run-rule and that's exactly what they did. Aubert came up clutch once again with a leadoff double to right center. After Aubert stole third, Arteaga singled on a bunt and advanced to second after the defense's attempt to get Aubert at third was unsuccessful. Taft cleared the bases with a 'no-doubt' homerun blast that easily sailed over the fence in left field to make it 11-4.
After two hard groundouts, Stapay kept the inning alive with double to left center.
Amanda Langford connected on a single up the middle that made its way to the outfield grass allowing Stapay to score from second and seal the win 12-4 in six innings.
Taft and Moser each went 3-4 at the plate in the game combining for five runs scored and five RBI.
Maddy Pfortmiller came in for relief in her second appearance on the day to pick up the win. She allowed two hits while striking out two and walking one in 3.2 innings of work.
