April 13, 2018
By: Colton Steiner, sports information assistant
FRANKLIN, Ohio -The Bluffton University softball squad hit the road to face off against the Franklin College Grizzlies on a beautiful Friday afternoon. The Beavers fell 5-1 in game one of the double-header before an eight-run fourth in game two propelled the Grizzlies to a 9-0 mercy-rule shutout. Bluffton slipped to 7-18 on the season and 2-6 in the HCAC, while Franklin improved to 19-5 overall and 6-2 in the conference.
Bluffton would be the first one to strike as a JOSIE McELROY (Mt. Orab/Western Brown) solo bomb to center put the Beavers up 1-0 in the first inning. A throwing error by Bluffton in the bottom of the first evened the game up at 1-1. The teams would stay quiet for most of the contest until an RBI double by Franklin gave them a 2-1 advantage in the bottom of the sixth. Three more runs in the inning put the home team up, 5-1. The deficit was too much for Bluffton to handle as the Beavers went down without a whimper in the seventh
The offense struggled as they mustered only four hits in the contest. Senior Josie McElroy would get the only RBI and run for Bluffton with her ninth long ball of the season. Also collecting hits for the Beavers were KELSEY REEDER (Galion/Northmor), BRITTANY HUFF (Clayton/Northmont) and CAYLIN MORSTADT (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes).
Taking the loss on the mound was NICOLE THOMAS (Otsego/Tontogany) who dropped to 5-7 on the season, despite allowing no earned runs off seven hits in 6.0 innings of work. The senior hurler walked a pair of batters while fanning one with her 80 pitches. Errors would haunt the Bluffton defense as they committed three on the day that led to five unearned runs for Franklin.
A Franklin run in the bottom of the first for the Grizzlies put them up 1-0. After scoreless innings in the second and third, Franklin exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the fourth for a 9-0 advantage. The Beavers were unable to score in the fifth as they took a 9-0 loss in five innings.
Josie McElroy, CHELSEA ZOLTOWSKI (Sylvania/Southview) and SYDNEY BOWEN (Convoy/Crestview) notched Bluffton's three hits for game two.
Falling to 1-9 on the hill, JESSIE MADZIA (Massillon/Tuslaw) went 3.2 innings while allowing seven runs off six hits. The senior walked three batters in the setback.
Bluffton will look to turn things around when they host Mount St. Joseph on Wednesday, April 18. The first pitch of the doubleheader is set to be thrown at 3:30 p.m. Come out and support your Beavers!
-BEAVERS-
