Blackburn Softball faced off against Greenville University on Wednesday afternoon. The Beavers lost game one 7-1, and lost game two by a final score of 10-2.
Game one was a pitching duel that saw minimal scoring until the seventh inning. Taylor Girth was on the mound for the Beavers and held Greenville scoreless until the fourth inning, while Greenville's Alison Klause took care of pitching duties for the Panthers. She did not allow a single run to score until the bottom of the seventh inning.
Greenville's Jaclyn Belzer led off with a double in the fourth inning but was later out on the basepaths. Emma Funk scored Desirae Yost on an RBI in the inning.
The Panther scored another run in the top of the sixth. The top of the seventh is where they blew the game open, however. After two consecutive singles and a SAC bunt, Greenville's Madi Case reached first on an infield hit. A crucial error by the Beavers resulted in Jaclyn Belzer scoring three RBIs for Greenville, giving them a 5-0 lead. They plated two more runs later in the inning to take a 7-0 lead.
Blackburn plated their only run in the bottom of the seventh courtesy of Holly Heuerman's aggressive baserunning. After two outs, Heuerman singled to center, followed by Sierra Hiser doubling to center field, which scored Heuerman from first base. The Beavers were unable to generate any further offense unfortunately and lost the game.
Game two saw higher scoring in the early innings, as Greenville had established a 6-2 lead by the middle of the third inning.
After giving up a run to the Panthers in the top of the second, the Beavers took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second. Breana Allen scored two runs on a base hit to center field but was unfortunately thrown out trying to take second base.
Greenville took back control of the game in the top of the third, where they scored five runs. Blackburn allowed two consecutive hits, which was followed by two walks. Another string of hits scored more runs for the Panthers, and by the end of the third inning, the Panthers were leading 6-2.
The Panthers plated another pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning, giving them a more comfortable 8-2 lead. In the top of the seventh, the Panthers generated enough offense to score yet another two runs, and they headed to bottom of the seventh leading 10-2.
Blackburn was unable to rally back in the game, giving Greenville the series sweep.
Andrea Roberts took the win on the mound for Greenville, while Julianna Tabian suffered the loss on the mound for Blackburn. The Beavers will play again on Saturday, April 22nd, when they travel to face Millikin University. Game one of that doubleheader is set to begin at 1:00 p.m.