NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. - The Bluffton University softball team battled jetlag after its second trip to Manchester University in two days, but a Leah Ramirez (Elida) bomb in the seventh inning of game two sent Bluffton back to Ohio on cloud nine! The Beavers moved to 19-13 overall and 7-7 in the Heartland Conference, while Manchester stands 14-15 and 6-6 in the conference.
Bluffton jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead over the Spartans in the top of the first inning. With Ramirez and Julia Tegeder (Hamilton) both in scoring position, senior Kaylee Grant singled to left center, plating Ramirez. Sophomore Grace Gronberg (Danville) struck out, but the Spartans were unable to squeeze it as Tegeder scurried home.
Freshman shortstop Brooklynn Bakle (Paulding) drove the first pitch she saw in the top of the third over the wall in left center, making it 3-0 in favor of the road warriors. However, the Spartans took advantage of four walks, five hits, three wild pitches and a passed ball en route to seven runs in the bottom of the third.
Freshman Klary McKay (Salem/Mahoning County Career Tech Center) came on in the fourth inning and tossed three shutout frames to wrap up game one, but the Beaver bats were silent as Sparty took the lidlifter by a 7-3 margin.
Leading the Beavers with two hits was Ramirez who also drew a walk and scored a run. Gronberg allowed seven runs on five hits with five walks and two strikeouts in three innings of work. McKay did not allow a run on three hits in three innings of relief.
After four and a half scoreless innings to open game two, an RBI groundout for the Spartans put Manchester up 1-0 in the home fifth.
With one down in the top of the seventh, sophomore Madison Brentlinger (Indian Lake) reached thanks to a Manchester error. That set the stage for fellow transfer Ramirez who drove a 3-1 Spartan offering over the wall in center for a 2-1 Bluffton lead!
McKay worked around a one-out Manchester single in the bottom of the frame, improving to 8-4 on the season after scattering eight hits over seven innings. She allowed just one run in 10 innings of work, needing only 78 pitches in game two.
Ramirez finished the day 4-of-6 and her game-winning bomb in game two drove in both of Bluffton's runs.
Bluffton will travel to Transylvania University for a Heartland Conference double-dipper with the Pioneers on Sunday, April 26. Game one is slated for 1 p.m.
-BEAVERS-