MONMOUTH, IL – The Beloit College softball team secured two gritty road wins Saturday afternoon, holding off Monmouth College for a 3-2 win and a 4-3 victory.
Game 1:
Avary Briggs (Albany, Wis.) delivered a standout complete-game performance, and timely hitting, particularly from Allison Olson (Sandwich, IL), propelled the Buccaneers to the win.
Beloit (7-27, 5-5 MWC) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. In the top of the first inning, leadoff hitter Angela Donath (Wausau, Wis.) drew a walk and promptly stole second. Kaitlyn Nicholson (Roscoe, Ill) followed with a walk, and both runners advanced on stolen bases. After loading the bases with a walk to Briggs, and a fielder's choice that cut Donath off at home, Beloit capitalized when Olson was hit by a pitch, forcing in Nicholson for a 1-0 lead.
The Buccaneers extended their lead in the third. Donath again sparked the offense with a single and her third stolen base of the game. After Nicholson sacrificed Donath to third, Briggs helped her own cause with a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Donath and making it 2-0.
Monmouth (4-28, 0-10 MWC) chipped away with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings, primarily driven by hits from Wyman and RBIs from Gerard, tying the game 2-2 heading into the later innings.
However, Beloit responded immediately in the top of the sixth. Briggs reached base safely on a fielding error by the Monmouth left fielder and advanced to second. Following a flyout by Kaylee Witte (Poplar Grove, IL) that moved Briggs to third, Olson came through with a clutch single to center field, driving in Briggs for the go-ahead, unearned run, making the score 3-1.
Monmouth scratched across one more run in the bottom of the sixth, but Briggs shut the door the rest of the way. She finished her complete-game victory allowing two earned runs on eight hits while striking out three. Crucially, Briggs issued zero walks over her seven innings of work, throwing an efficient 79 pitches. The Buccaneer defense was also sharp behind her, committing no errors in the contest.
Donath finished 2-for-3 with a run scored, a walk, and three stolen bases from the leadoff spot. Olson provided the key offensive punch, going 1-for-2 with a crucial two RBIs. Briggs added the other RBI via her sacrifice fly and scored the eventual game-winning run.
Durfee took the loss for Monmouth, allowing two earned runs in four innings, while Greene pitched the final three innings, giving up one unearned run.
Game 2:
Beloit broke the scoreless tie and took control with a decisive three-run outburst in the top of the third inning. The rally began when Hannah Beran (Calendonia, Ill.) drew a walk and advanced to second on Donath's single. A crucial throwing error by the Monmouth pitcher allowed Beran to advance to third and then score, giving Beloit a 1-0 lead while Donath moved to second. Briana Arteaga (Covina, Calif.), pinch-hitting, singled, putting runners on the corners. After Arteaga stole second, Briggs laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, scoring Donath to make it 2-0. Olson followed with an RBI single to left field, bringing home Arteaga for a 3-0 Buccaneer advantage.
The Buccaneers tacked on another vital run in the top of the fourth. Paloma Reyes (Beloit, Wis.) led off the inning with a booming triple to right field. Beran came through with an RBI groundout to second base, scoring Reyes and extending the lead to 4-0.
Monmouth began to chip away in the bottom of the fourth. Lewis walked and scored on an RBI double by Narlock. Narlock then advanced to third on a single by King and later scored on an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Millholli, cutting the Beloit lead to 4-2.
The Fighting Scots pulled within one run in the fifth inning. Ashby drew a walk, stole second, and scored on an RBI single up the middle by Wyman, making it a tense 4-3 game.
However, Beloit's pitching buckled down to preserve the lead. Starter Witte pitched the first 4.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three to earn the win. Briggs entered in the bottom of the fifth with the tying run already scored and was outstanding in relief. Briggs tossed 3.0 scoreless innings, yielding just one hit and two walks while striking out two to lock down her first save of the season. She navigated a jam in the seventh after an error put the potential tying run on base, but induced two fly outs to end the threat and the game.
Offensively for Beloit, Olson paced the team with two hits and an RBI in three at-bats. Reyes added the key triple and scored a run, while Arteaga had a hit, scored a run, drew a walk, and stole a base. Donath also contributed a hit and scored one of Beloit's four runs.
Monmouth's Narlock had a standout performance with three hits, including two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. Pitcher Hefflefin went the distance for Monmouth, allowing four earned runs on five hits, walking three, and striking out six over 7.0 innings.
The Buccaneers face a tough road test next Saturday when they head to Lake Forest for a clash with the Foresters. First pitch from Mohr Field is set for 1 pm.
