Softball splits conference opener with Tabor, splits with Kansas Wesleyan
Threshers take a game from rival Bluejays and Coyotes.
Bethel splits with Tabor to open KCAC action
On Wednesday night, the Thresher softball team earned the split with Tabor after falling short in the first game, 7-6, then picking up a 4-2 victory in the second game.
Game one: L, 7-6
In the first inning, the Bluejays were on top early, scoring the opening two runs. Tabor was able to find another run in the second inning to bring its lead to 3-0.
Cynae Wiley of the Threshers would bat in two runs followed by runs from Taylor Sanfillippo and Amber Mott to put Bethel on top, 4-3. In the fourth inning, the Bluejays were able to retake the lead, scoring two runs and regaining a 5-4 advantage. Dakota Piovesan of the Threshers would then hit a two-run home run to put Bethel back up, 6-5, in the sixth inning.
All the Threshers needed was three outs to end the game victorious, but Tabor had other plans, scoring two runs at the top of the seventh. The Bluejay defense held on to clinch the 7-6 victory.
Leaders of the first game included Piovesan — who was 3-for-4 batting with two RBIs and two runs, one of which was a homer. Mott also turned in a 2-for-4 stat line at the plate with an RBI as well.
Game two: W, 4-2
The Threshers had a quick turnaround of momentum as they started the second game of their doubleheader against the Bluejays.
Ella Caudill would ignite the flame for Bethel with a one-out walk in the bottom half of the second which would push for three runs: an RBI double from Brianna Reeves then a run from Sanfillippo after the Tabor shortstop committed an error, leaving the Bluejays down 3-0.
The top of the fifth would be the next time either team would score when Tabor was finally able to figure out Bethel starting pitcher Rachel Duer, who went four scoreless innings, only giving up three hits and striking out six batters.
The Bluejays were able to cut the lead to 3-2 before the Threshers made a pitching change to Jesse McMichael. Sanfillippo then scored yet another run in the contest, giving Bethel the 3-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth.
The Bluejays looked to make a comeback in the seventh inning when McMichael let two runners on the bases. She then recorded a strikeout, a flyout, and a groundout to herself to end the game and leave the Threshers walking away with a 4-2 victory over their rivals from Hillsboro.
Leaders for the game were Sanfillippo who was 2-for-4 at-bat, had two RBIs, and a run, and Duer who pitched four innings and gave up only three hits. The result marks the first win for Bethel over Tabor since April 21, 2021, and only the second victory over the Bluejays in the past five years.
Threshers split with Kansas Wesleyan
The Threshers then took on the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes on Saturday at Allen Wedel Field and split games with them as well. Bethel fell in the first game to the Coyotes, 6-0, but bounced back in game two, winning 9-8 in extra innings.
Game one: L, 6-0
Game one started out slow for both teams, with neither team scoring until the fourth inning. The starting pitcher for the Threshers, Rachel Duer, had not given up a hit until then either. But when she did, the Coyotes capitalized on it to open the scoring.
Duer didn’t let another runner on base until the seventh when Kansas Wesleyan struck for five runs in that inning, making the final score 6-0 in favor of the Coyotes.
Hitting was slow for the Threshers in game one as they stranded five runners on base in the first six innings and stranded two in the seventh inning. The leading batter for Bethel was Dakota Piovesan, who was 2-for-3 at the plate.
Game two: W, 9-8
Game two was a much different story as Bethel came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. The Threshers started the first inning by putting up four runs that were capped off by a three-run homer from Piovesan.
In the fourth inning, Bethel scored yet another run when Cynae Wiley drove home Karlie Stephens with an RBI single, bringing its lead to 5-0. The Coyotes eventually got on the board in the sixth inning when they drove in two runners, making the score 5-2.
Kansas Wesleyan scored four runs at the top of the seventh inning off of a grand slam, handing them their first lead at 6-5. In the bottom of the seventh, Marissa Harrison saved the game for the Threshers when she hit a shot to left field, tying the game at 6-6 and forcing extra innings.
The Coyotes were able to take the lead at the top of the eighth when they used a sacrifice bunt to score and pushed another runner across to go up, 8-6. Sidney Smith was then able to get an RBI single for the Threshers — who eventually loaded the bases.
Mott then hit a ball straight to the Coyote third-baseman, who threw the ball off of Smith’s head, allowing Smith and Wiley to get across home plate and clinch Bethel’s 9-8 win — the first over Kansas Wesleyan since April 17, 2021 — in eight innings.
The Threshers will be back in action on Tuesday as they travel to Kansas City to take on Avila. The first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 2 p.m.