KOKOMO, Ind. - The Bluffton University softball team held on for a stunning 7-6 victory over HCAC co-champion Mount St. Joseph, knocking off the #2 seeded Lions 7-6 on Friday, May 8, 2026. Bluffton improved to 23-16, while MSJ closed out the year with a 28-13 mark.
Mount St. Joseph scored a run in the first and another in the second, but a two-RBI single to left from Halee McDade (Oxford/Talawanda) had it knotted 2-2 when rain forced a four-hour stoppage just before 4 p.m. Fellow junior Taryn Hampton (Fostoria/Hopewell Louden) and freshman Brooklynn Bakle (Paulding) crossed the dish in inning two.
A walk to Julia Tegeder (Hamilton) and base hit for Kaylee Grant (Lima/Shawnee) put two runners on for sophomore Grace Gronberg (Danville) who helped herself with a run-scoring single to left center that plated junior Colleen Meese (Rocky River) for a 3-2 lead.
The visitors on the scoreboard hit paydirt with four crucial runs in the top of the sixth. McDade came through with a double to right center that drove in Tianna Galbraith (Wayne/Elmwood). Sophomore Leah Ramirez (Elida) lobbed a single down the left field line that scored McDade. Madison Brentlinger (Indian Lake) crossed the dish when Grant's shot to first was too hot to handle and then Gronberg did it again with a two-bagger to right center that sent Grant scurrying home!
MSJ responded with three scores in the home half of the sixth and after Bluffton went down in order in the seventh, it was up to Gronberg and the defense to close it out. With two down and two runners on, Avery Wiltermood hit a rocket down the third base line. Grant made a diving stop and crawled to the bag for out number three as well as another day of softball for the Bluffton Beavers!
Brentlinger, Gronberg, Hampton and McDade all smacked two hits in the Friday nightcap. McDade drove in three runs, while Gronberg added two RBI. She was also a bulldog on the mound, tossing her third complete game in less than 36 hours. Gronberg allowed six runs on 14 hits in seven innings of work.
Bluffton can now sit back and wait for the loser of Saturday's Transylvania and Earlham matchup. The Beavers will play in the semifinal at approximately 3 p.m. at Kokomo High School, home of the 2026 Heartland Conference Softball Tournament.
-BEAVERS-