SUNDAY COVERAGE VS. OBERLIN: LIVE VIDEO / LIVE STATS
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BLUFFTON, Ohio -- Bluffton University relied on a pair of last at-bat victories to top Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 8-7 and 6-5 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference softball action on Saturday,
In the opener, six Fightin' Engineers had multiple-hit games as Rose-Hulman rallied from 6-3 down to tie the score at 7-7 entering the bottom of the seventh. Lexus Rutledge ended the game with a walk-off home run in Bluffton's 8-7 victory.
Angela Boulboulle had a team-high three hits, including a double, with one run and one RBI. Ashley Pinkham added two doubles and scored one run. Nicole Lang added a 2-4 day with two runs scored and one RBI.
Other Fightin' Engineers with multiple hits in game one included Ariel Thomasson with two singles and one RBI; Reagan Knabe with a single, double, one run scored and one RBI; and Hailey Hofmann with two singles and one run scored.
Thomasson had seven strikeouts in the pitching circle in the contest.
In the nightcap, Phoebe Worstell launched a grand slam and had four RBIs as the Fightin' Engineers built an early lead, before Bluffton rallied to win 6-5.
Pinkham had two hits and scored one run for the Engineers, and Lang had a single and an RBI. Thomasson added a double for the Rose-Hulman offense.
In the pitching circle, Worstell went the distance with five strikeouts.
Bluffton improved to 8-10 and 2-0 in league play, while Rose-Hulman stands 11-5 and 0-2 in conference games. The Fightin' Engineers return home to face Oberlin on Sunday at 1 pm in a non-conference doubleheader.
GAME 1 | Bluffton 8, Rose-Hulman 7
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Engineers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the top of the first inning. Rose-Hulman plated two runs off of Bluffton pitching, one of which was driven in on a run-scoring double off the bat of Nicole Lang.
The Engineers then held the Beavers scoreless before expanding their lead in the third inning. Rose-Hulman scored once on a run-scoring single off the bat of Hailey Hofmann, which brought the Engineers lead to 3-0.
Rose-Hulman's lead had evaporated once the fifth inning came around and turned into a 6-3 Bluffton advantage, when the Engineers cut that deficit to 6-5.
Rose-Hulman held the Beavers off the board before tying it up in the sixth. The Engineers drove in a run on Boulboulle's two-out RBI double, tying the score at 6-6.
Bluffton then broke that tie and took a 7-6 lead heading into the seventh, when the Engineers tied the game once again, this time at seven. Rose-Hulman scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Thomasson. Bluffton then scored one time in the bottom half of the seventh to break the tie and grab the 8-7 win.
GAME NOTES
» Boulboulle led the Engineers, picking up three hits in the ballgame.
» Rose-Hulman's power output was led by Ashley Pinkham, who picked up two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Rose-Hulman's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed two runs across.
» Six Rose-Hulman hitters had multiple base knocks in the ballgame.
» The Engineers out-hit the Beavers at a 14-10 clip.
» Rose-Hulman went 6-for-17 (.353) with runners in scoring position.
» Rose-Hulman pitchers limited Bluffton to just 2-for-16 (.125) with runners in scoring position.
» Rose-Hulman pitchers faced 32 Bluffton hitters in the game, allowing three ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out seven.
» Boulboulle led the Engineers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
» Bluffton was led offensively by Madison Jones, who went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBIs.
» Erin Norman led the Beavers pitching staff, throwing seven innings of seven-run ball.
GAME 2 | Bluffton 6, Rose-Hulman 5
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Engineers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the top of the first inning. Rose-Hulman's offense started clicking and put up five runs, including a grand slam off the bat of Worstell. The Engineers were unable to hold the lead, as Bluffton scored six times over the remaining six innings to grab the 6-5 win.
GAME NOTES
» Worstell drove in four runs for the Engineers.
» Rose-Hulman's highest scoring inning was the first, when it pushed five runs across.
» Rose-Hulman went 4-for-9 (.444) with runners in scoring position.
» Rose-Hulman pitchers faced 36 Bluffton hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out five.
» Worstell led the Engineers at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs.
» Bluffton was led offensively by Madison Jones, who went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.
» Jones led the Beavers pitching staff, throwing four scoreless innings.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
