GROVE CITY, Pa. (May 2) -- The No. 6 Thiel College Softball team eliminated No. 5 Bethany College from the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Tournament with a decisive 10-2 victory Friday at Grove City's College Field.
With the win, Thiel advances to play No. 3 Geneva in Game H tomorrow at 10 a.m. The Tomcats now sit at 18-17 for the year. The Bison conclude the season 26-13-1.
Josie Wise, star Bethany pitcher, walked the first three batters of the game and was pulled without recording an out in the first. The Tomcats plated just 1 in the first as
Mackenzie Herman (Greenville, Pa./Reynolds) had a run-scoring single. The Bison had a runner at third with one out in the first, but flew into a double play as
Kayley Risser (Reynoldsville, Pa./Dubois Central Catholic) delivered a frozen-rope strike to the plate, gunning the runner down.
Herman finished 2-for-4 with 2 runs, an RBI and a walk.
Thiel grew the lead in the third as
Kylie Heid (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley) had a run-scoring single to make it 2-0.
Alaina Fedder (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield Area) followed with an infield single that scored 2 after an error to grow the lead to 4. Risser capped the inning with a RBI single to make it 5-0.
Fedder finished 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a run while Risser was 1-for-3 with 2 runs, two walks and a RBI.
The Tomcats extended the lead to 8-0 in the fourth as Heid roped a 2-run triple off the wall in the right-field corner and Fedder legged out a run-scoring infield hit.
Heid finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a run to lead the Thiel offense.
Bethany got 2 back in the the bottom of the fourth to make it 8-2, but the Thiel offense got em both back in the seventh as
Dani Ficeti (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) lobbed a 2-run single to spell the 10-2 final. Ficeti knocked in 2 and had a hit and run each.
Becca Landis (Kinsman, Ohio/Mathews) continued her dominant stretch in the circle as she allowed just 2 runs and K'd three in the complete-game win. Landis has allowed 2 earned runs or fewer in seven straight starts. She improves to 13-7 on the year.
Thiel returns to play tomorrow at 10 a.m. against No. 3 Geneva. The Tomcats bested the Golden Tornadoes 3-2 in Thursday's Tournament matchup.
