April 11, 2015
By: Ryan Schadewald, sports information assistant
CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Bluffton University Beavers pushed their winning streak to 10 games as they earned a sweep over the Mount St. Joseph Lions on Saturday, April 11. The Beavers won the early game, 12-3, while pulling off a 7-0 shutout victory in the nightcap. Bluffton’s win moves them to 19-12 overall and 6-2 in the HCAC while MSJ fell to 11-8 and 1-5 in the conference.
The scoring began right away as Bluffton’s Ariana Muffo (New Athens, Ill./New Athens) led off the game with a solo homer to kickstart a five-run first inning. Jess Kuzara (Flat Rock, Mich./Huron) added a two-run dinger from the three-spot while Jo Bondra (Highland Heights/Mayfield) capped the inning with a two-run double.
The Beavers added three more markers in the second stanza, including a two-run double by JessIE Madzia (Massillon/Tuslaw) to make it 8-0 after just an inning and a half. The visitors slugged away with four more runs in the sixth, clinching the mercy-rule victory on a three-run shot by Brittany Huff (Clayton/Northmont).
Chloe Shell (Covington) improved to 9-4 with the complete-game victory, throwing six innings and giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits. Shell struck out five Lions in the win. Paige Kiesewetter took the loss for MSJ after giving up eight runs on 10 hits in five innings.
The Bluffton offense was led by Muffo and Madzia, both garnering three hits apiece. Muffo hammered the homer, her fourth of the year, scored two runs and added an RBI, while Madzia finished with a double, two singles and two RBI. Kuzara also went 2-for-3 on the game with her eighth long ball of the year, a double, two RBI and three runs scored.
Game two was more of the same for the Beavers as they shut out the Lions behind another great pitching effort from Jessie Madzia who improved to 7-5 on the season with a complete-game four-hitter, striking out six.
Bluffton scored a run in each of the first three innings, including a third inning RBI-double from Josie McElroy (Mt. Orab/Western Brown) that made it 3-0. The score would remain the same until the seventh inning, when Bluffton broke it open with four runs on a pair of two-run shots from Muffo and McElroy to salt away the sweep of the Lions.
Josie McElroy led the Beavers with three RBI, going 2-for-4 on the contest. Muffo and Brittany Baker (Springboro) both finished with two hits apiece as well. Baker also scored two runs, while Muffo’s fifth home run of the season in the seventh iced the game.
Bluffton jumps back into action on Tuesday, April 14, as the Beavers hit the road for a key HCAC doubleheader against HCAC co-leader Anderson University. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. Bluffton then returns home on Saturday, April 18, as they take on the Franklin Grizzlies at 1 p.m. for Strike Out Cancer Day. Come support your Beavers!
-BEAVERS-
