Bruins sweep Hannibal-LaGrange, 7-2, 6-2

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

CLERMONT, Fla. -- The Bellevue University softball team posted a nonconference doubleheader sweep against Hannibal-LaGrange University Wednesday at the National Training Center Spring Games.

Bellevue, who won its third-straight game to improve to 6-5 overall, took the opener, 7-2, before winning the finale, 6-2. Hannibal-LaGrange dropped to 5-6. 

The Bruins will wrap-up their Florida roadtrip tomorrow (March 6) with games against Webber International University and Hannibal-LaGrange.

Bellevue 7, Hannibal-LaGrange 2

The Bruins used four fifth inning runs to pull away from HLU in the opener.

Augusta Ratliff and Kristin Burhenne each went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the BU offense. Ratliff had two triples in the win.

Alyssa Matoba went 3-for-4 with an RBI and one run scored. Ashley Gigax scored two runs and drove in another after going 2-for-4 with a double. 

Rachel Hughes' first inning RBI single gave the Trojans the early 1-0 lead. Megan Becker, who walked earlier in the inning, scored from second base on the play.

BU tied the game at 1-1 in the third inning on Matoba's two-out single that allowed Shelby Kindelin to score. 

An RBI triple by Ratliff and a one-run single by Burhenne gave BU its first lead of the game at 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth. HLU responded in the top of the fifth with an RBI single by Haley Zeier, cutting the Bruin lead to one, 3-2. 

The Bruins forged a 7-2 advantage in the bottom of the fifth on back-to-back RBI doubles by Gigax and Katie Malloy, another RBI triple by Ratliff and an RBI single by Burhenne.

Bellevue outhit the Trojans 12-7 with four extra-base hits. 

Taylor Mohler (3-2) notched the win, tossing a seven-hitter while tying a season-high with 15 strikeouts in seven innings of work. 

Bellevue 6, Hannibal-LaGrange 2

Matoba went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base and Katy Shupe and Ratliff both finished with a pair of RBIs to lead Bellevue to the 6-2 win in the nightcap to complete the sweep.

Ratliff put the Bruins on top first after a two-run single scored Shupe and Matoba in the top of the first.

BU used three extra-base RBI hits to open up a five-run advantage in the fifth inning. Gigax and Shupe recorded triples and Malloy registered a double.

The Bruins added to their lead in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly to right field by Shupe scored Kindelin who led the inning off with a single.

HLU scored its only two runs in the final inning with RBI hits by Abby Garcia and Danielle Stackhouse.

Kelli Fisher picked up her second win of the season after tossing the complete game. She struck out five batters with just one walk.

Trojan starting pitcher Katy Akins took the loss and fell to 1-2. Akins gave up two runs on four hits and walked two in three innings of work.