Softball Strong during Doubleheader Split with Red Raiders

Sam Engleman belted a big three-run home run to right center field to highlight a key seven-run second inning in game one against visiting Northwestern College (IA) on Saturday, as the Beavers went on to win 9-0 in five innings.  The Red Raiders, however, avoided the sweep with a four-run seventh inning in game to en route to a 5-3 victory.

Freshman Jordan Pilcher started the two-out rally in the second by lining a two-run single to right center, scoring Megan Feller and Stephanie Hayden.  BVU then took advantage of a defensive miscue by Northwestern to add another run before Brooke Berkey made it 4-0 with an RBI single.  After Berkey stole second, Engleman broke the game open with her second career long ball.

Pilcher then came all the way around from first to slide home ahead of a tag following a series of rundown attempts by Northwestern after senior Aphton Roberts had singled and moved up to second.  Following a Berkey sacrifice bunt down the first base line moved Roberts up to third, Engleman came through again with an RBI single to left center to make it 9-0.

Northwestern, who finished with only three hits in the contest, threatened to score in the fifth, when it put runners at first and third with no outs.  Freshman Erin Kliefoth, however, tallied the first out when she gunned down the runner from first trying to steal second.  Senior Chancey Wilcke, who went on to pick up her fifth win of the season, got a line-out and a strikeout to end the game.

Engleman finished 2-for-3 at the plate with four RBI and a run scored, while five other players added one hit.  Pilcher and Roberts each scored a pair of runs, as BVU scored at least nine runs for the third time this season.  Wilcke picked up her second shutout in five starts and lowered her ERA to 1.56.

BVU jumped out to the early 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first inning of game two.  Roberts, who led off with a double, scored two batters later after a throwing error by the Red Raiders before Jami Webster knocked in a run with a double to right center.

The Beavers threatened to add to the total in the second by loading the bases with two outs, but failed to score.  The Red Raiders then got a lead-off home run in the fourth to pull within 2-1 before BVU got the run back in the fifth on an RBI single from Stephanie Hayden.

Northwestern (11-7) then rallied in the seventh with four runs on four hits to take its first lead of the afternoon at 5-3 and worked around a lead-off single in the Beaver seventh for the win.

Engleman added two more hits and scored twice to help lead BVU at the plate, as Roberts and Webster posted the only extra base hits for the Beavers, who finished with 10 hits overall.

Webster got the start on the mound and suffered the tough loss, going 6.2 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits.  Wilcke came on in relief and got the final out.

Buena Vista is now 6-4 overall and will get set to open Iowa Conference play next Saturday when it host the University of Dubuque in a 2:00pm doubleheader.

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