BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University softball team notched its first berth in the HCAC Tournament since 2015 thanks to stunning 5-4 walkoff victory in the lidlifter. Sophomore Leah Ramirez (Elida) called game in the bottom of the seventh as the Beavers smashed through the gates with her walkoff homer! Bluffton wrapped up its regular season with a 21-15 mark overall and 9-9 in the Heartland Conference, the most wins for both categories since 2015. RHIT saw its season come to an end as Manchester secured the #6 seed depite finishing with the same number of wins as Anderson and the Engineers. Bluffton will head to Kokomo, Ind. for the first neutral-site championship at Kokomo High School next Thursday, May 7!
The visiting Engineers were chugging along with a 4-0 lead midway through the sixth inning in game one when the tide started to change. As fate would have it, Ramirez led off the frame with a single through the left side. Senior Julia Tegeder (Hamilton) reached on a fielder's choice and Ramirez took second when Rose was unable to hold on for the force. Two outs and one challenge later, freshman Brooklynn Bakle (Paulding) got the Beavers on the board with her RBI single up the gut. Junior Taryn Hampton's (Fostoria/Hopewell Louden) base knock to left loaded the sacks for Ella McCombs (Springfield/Southeastern) who came up big as her grounder to second was too hot to handle. Tegeder and Bakle crossed the dish, making it 4-3 before the dust settled.
Sophomore Grace Gronberg (Danville) worked around a pair of one-out singles in the top of the seventh, keeping it a one-run game while setting the stage for more Ramirez heroics. Fellow transfer Madison Brentlinger (Indian Lake) singled up the middle and Ramirez drove the first pitch she saw just east of the scoreboard for a shot heard round the world! The 5-4 victory assured Bluffton of a spot in the conference tournament for the first time in 11 years.
Ramirez, Bakle and Hampton all finished with two hits as Rose starter Aubrey Smith was deadly with her changeup through the first five innings. Ramirez scored twice and drove in two runs.
Gronberg improved to 12-6, giving her the most victories for a Bluffton hurler since Chloe Shell's 13 in 2015! She allowed four runs, three earned, on nine hits in a complete-game effort. Gronberg struck out two and did not allow a walk.
Rose went up 3-0 in the top of the first in game two before Ramirez's second homer in as many at bats made it 3-2 when she picked up Brentlinger who led off with a walk.
Senior Hailey Lennard (North Baltimore) smacked her first hit of the season and picked up her first RBI of the season in one fell swoop as she drove in McCombs, who doubled to open the bottom of the second, with a laser to right field. Ramirez cranked her third dinger of the day in the home fifth, but Rose was too much as the Engineers wrapped up their season with a 17-4 mercy-rule victory before setting their Garmin up for one last trip to Terre Haute, Ind.
Ramirez was 2-of-3 with three RBI and two runs scored in game two. Sophomore Klary McKay (Salem/Mahoning County Career Tech Center) slipped to 8-6 after surrendering eight runs, but just three earned, on six hits in two innings of work.
The #5 seed Beavers will match up with #4 seed Earlham College on Thursday, May 7, at 10 a.m. in game one of the HCAC Tournament at Kokomo High School. Continue to check the Bluffton University softball schedule for updates.
-BEAVERS-
