Bruins down Grace, Lourdes, Fisher in softball tripleheader
Game 1: Bellevue 4, Grace (Ind.) 3 Game 2: Bellevue 13, Lourdes 1 Game 3: Bellevue 18, Fisher 5
Grace Box Score
Lourdes Box Score
Fisher Box Score
CLERMONT, Fla. -- After pulling out a come-from-behind win in the seventh inning over Grace (Ind.) College in the opener, the Bruins cruised to a pair of mercy-rule wins over Lourdes University and Fisher College in the following two games Monday at the National Training Center Spring Games.
Bellevue (11-7) defeated Grace, 4-3, followed by a 13-1 victory over Lourdes in six innings and an 18-5 win over Fisher in five innings in the nightcap of the tripleheader.
The Bruins will continue action at the NTC Spring Games on Wednesday (Mar. 8) when they face Fisher again at 7 a.m. (central time) and St. Xavier at 1:00 p.m.
Bellevue 4, Grace 3
Emily Miller's walk-off single completed a two-run seventh-inning rally as the Bruins pulled out a 4-3 victory over Grace in the opening game of the day. With the Bruins down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh with one out and nobody on, Michaela Miller started the rally with a triple to right field. Hannah Carter tied the game on an RBI single to right field that scored M. Miller. Carter then advanced to second on a passed a ball and was driven in by E. Miller's single that got through the gap between third base and short stop to win the game.
Carter led the Bruins at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a triple and an RBI.
Kelli Fisher (7-3) picked up her seventh win of the season, scattering six hits with eight strikeouts and no walks in seven innings in the circle.
Bellevue 13, Lourdes 1 (6 innings)
Emily Miller and Sydney Robertson each drove in three runs and Erin Sharpe allowed just three hits as the Bruins cruised to the 13-1 win over Lourdes in the second game of the day.
The Bruins got out of the gate quickly, scoring two runs in the top of the first. Emily Miller's squeeze bunt scored Carter from third for the first run and Maddie Siedlik's RBI single to center field produced the second first-inning run for BU.
Bellevue erupted for five runs in the top of the second, highlighted by an RBI double by Sydney Robertson, a one-run single by Michaela Miller and a two-run double by Emily Miller. The Bruins also scored on a bases-loaded passed ball.
The Gray Wolves sliced the lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the third, scoring on a Bruin fielding error.
The Bruins added six more runs in the top of the sixth on two-run doubles by Robertson and Alex Tooley, an RBI single by Michaela Miller and a bases-loaded walk to Sayde Woten, to push the BU advantage to 13-1.
Sharpe (1-0) secured her first win of the season, allowing just three hits and one walk to go along with three strikeouts in six innings of work.
Bellevue 18, Fisher 5 (5 innings)
The Bruins pounded out a season-high 17 hits, including 12 extra-base hits to cruise to the 18-5 win over Fisher.
After Fisher led off the game with a solo homer to left field by Morgan Selmi, the Bruin offense exploded for 15 runs on 13 hits in the first two innings, highlighted by back-to-back home runs by Courtney Schendt and Sharpe.
The Falcons added four runs on consecutive RBI doubles by Kristina Brown and Becky Collison and a two-run homer by Corri Edstrom in the top of the third frame, to cut the lead to 15-5.
A bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to Schendt gave BU a 16-5 edge in the top of the fourth.
Tooley led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot over the left-field fence and Michaela Miller's RBI double scored Kaitlyn Kinman to push the advantage to 18-5.
Schendt went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and five RBIs. Michaela Miller finished 3-for-4 with three doubles and four RBIs.
Sharpe, who replaced Myah Boehnke in the third, earned her second win of the day, giving up just one hit and one walk, while fanning five batters in 2.2 innings of work.