Softball caps four KCAC doubleheaders in two weeks
The Threshers split with York but fell in both games to McPherson, Friends, and Sterling.
Over the past week and a half, the Bethel softball team played four conference doubleheaders. The results of these contests bring the Threshers’ overall record to 12-22 and 3-13 in KCAC play.
York: Game one — (W) 3-1, Game two — (L) 8-4
The Panthers would start off strong when their first batter reached on an error and came around to score their lone run of the game. Bethel would come back at York when Cynae Wiley hit a leadoff single. Right after, Amber Mott drove in Wiley with a one-out triple to tie the contest in the bottom of the first.
Marissa Harrison then brought home Mott, bringing the Thresher lead to 2-1. Claire Broxterman stepped up to bat at the bottom of the second and hit another triple. Karlie Stephens stepped up next to drive Broxterman in, bringing the lead to 3-1. Neither team would score for the rest of the game, giving Bethel the 3-1 win in the first game.
To start off game two, the Panthers would strike first again. This time it was in the second inning when they drove in two runs, giving them the lead 2-0. The Threshers responded in the bottom of the third with an RBI triple from Brianna Reeves and an RBI single from Mott, tying the game 2-2. The top of the fourth inning would bring the lead back to York. The Panthers hit a pair of RBI doubles. Catherine Carter took a pinch hit and hit a two-RBI single to tie the game back up at four in the bottom of the fourth.
York would score one run in the top of the fifth and three more in the seventh, leading the Panthers to the 8-4 win.
McPherson: Game one — (L) 9-1, Game two — (L) 9-8
To start off the contest, the Bulldogs took a quick lead with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. In the bottom of the third, McPherson found more spark and traveled three more runs across home plate, bringing their lead to 5-0. In the top of the fourth, the Threshers finally found something when Broxterman hit an RBI single that would drive home Taylor Sanfillippo, cutting into the lead 5-1. Bethel could never find more momentum and eventually lost the contest 9-1 after the Bulldogs found four more runs.
McPherson found its striking point right away once again in the bottom of the first inning where they took an early 1-0 lead. In the top of the third the Threshers struck back when Dakota Piovesan hit a solo shot. Bethel added another run with Sanfillippo hit a double to the left field and drove in Wiley bringing the Threshers ahead 2-1. In the next inning, the Bulldogs found two more runs bringing them ahead 3-2.
In the fifth inning, Bethel found its groove. After a walk, a pop out and a single, Reeves hit a double to center driving home Emma Hershberger. Wiley then scored, bringing Reeves to third base. Sanfillippo smacked a ball scoring Reeves. McPherson got two runs in the bottom of the sixth, both while playing with two outs. Neither team scored in the seventh, until Bethel came and scored three runs to give them the lead. Harrison had an RBI while Piovesan had the other two runs. The Bulldogs would take the contest in extra innings, 9-8, when they put up four runs.
Friends: Game one — (L) 7-0, Game two — (L) 15-0
Only two batters for the Threshers reached base throughout the contest in Mott and Sanfillippo, both on fielder's choice balls. The Falcon starter in the circle struck out 14 batters and didn’t allow a single run, causing Bethel to lose 7-0.
In the second contest, Wiley finally got a hit for Bethel on the day with a single, getting all the way to third base but left stranded there. The Falcons put up two runs in the bottom of the inning to start off their lead. Bethel got another runner to third in the second inning but stranded her once again. In the bottom of the second the Falcons found their spark of momentum with 13 runs and the Threshers never came back, losing in just five innings 15-0.
Sterling: Game one — (L) 11-4, Game two — (L) 8-4
The Threshers would get on the board first in the contest in the bottom of the third inning where they would capitalize on two Sterling errors to score two runs. In the top of the fourth, the Warriors answered the call and added five runs of their own. In the sixth they added three more, bringing the score to 8-2 in favor of Sterling.
In the bottom half of the sixth, the Threshers would try and catch up by scoring a run. The Warriors scored three more runs in the top of the seventh to bring their lead to a more comfortable gap at 11-3. Bethel scored a lone run in the same inning, losing 11-4.
The second game was a slow start for both teams as no team scored until the third inning. The Warriors would strike first with four runs. In the top of the fourth, Sterling scored another run. The Threshers would try to cut into the lead, scoring on a two run home run from Piovesan. They added another run in the fifth inning making the Warriors lead only 5-3.
Sterling added two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to make the lead 8-3. In the bottom half of the eighth, the Threshers added one more run before the Warriors closed out the game, winning 8-4.