Mohler sets school strikeout record, BU goes 1-2 on the day

Bethel Box Score
Grace Box Score
St. Thomas Box Score

CLERMONT, Fla. -- The Bellevue University softball team went 1-2 Tuesday at the National Training Center Spring Games and senior pitcher Taylor Mohler set the school record for career strikeouts.  

Bellevue fell to Bethel (Ind.) College, 3-0, and to Grace (Ind.) College, 9-1, before ending the day with a 10-2 victory over St. Thomas (Fla.) University.

Mohler, who tied the individual game record with 16 strikeouts in the loss to Bethel, now has 609 career strikeouts, surpassing the previous school record of 599, set by Kari Witherspoon (1997-2000).  

The Bruins will battle a pair of NCAA Division III opponents on Wednesday (March 4). Bellevue will take on DeSales University at 8 a.m. and Roanoke College at 10 a.m. (CST).

Bethel (Ind.) 3, Bellevue 0

Despite the career-high 16 strikeouts by Mohler, the Bruins managed just one hit offensively as Bethel shut out the Bruins, 3-0, in the opener. Mohler's 11th strikeout against Sarah Mendoza in the fifth inning set the school record. 

The Pilots scored on a passed ball in the top of the second and used a two-run double by Katie Claxon in the fifth to increase the lead to 3-0.

After Mohler struck out the first two batters in the fifth, Bethel's Kelsey Caposey singled on a bunt and Natalie Newell drew a walk, before Claxon drove both of them in on a double to deep center field. 

Newell (2-0) allowed just one hit, while striking out 11 Bruins and walking four. 

Mohler (0-4) suffered the loss, giving up five hits, including three doubles, with 16 strikeouts and four walks. 

Grace 9, Bellevue 1 (5 innings)

Grace registered nine hits and the Bruins committed three fielding errors as the Lancers defeated Bellevue, 9-1, in five innings in the second game of the day. 

The Lancers raced out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first, thanks to a pair of triples, a double and two Bruin fielding errors. 

Grace added two more runs in the second on a ground-out RBI by Chandler Elliott and an RBI double by Ashley Kleinbub.

The Lancer advantage increased to 9-0 in the third after Grace scored on BU throwing error and on an RBI single to left field by Clarissa Knight. 

The Bruins avoided the shutout when Sayde Woten belted Bellevue's first home run of the season in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to 9-1. 

Elliott was credited with the win, scattering six hits with one strikeout and two walks in five innings in the circle. 

Kristine Kimberley (0-1) too the loss, giving up six runs on four hits and one walk in one inning of work.

Only three of Grace's nine runs were earned in the contest. 

Bellevue 10, St. Thomas 2 (5 innings)

The Bruins pounded out a season-high 16 hits in the 10-2 victory over St. Thomas and all nine batters recorded at least one hit in the win.  

Sydney Robertson went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs to lead the Bruin offense. Shelby Kindelin finished 1-for-3 with four RBIs and a triple. Ashley Gigax went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. 

Robertson's RBI double to centerfield drove in Sarah Zeleny to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. 

The Bobcats tied it up in the the bottom of the third, when Christina Horton stole third and scored on an error by Bruin catcher Woten. 

The Bruins exploded with six runs on six hits in the fourth inning, highlighted by a three-run triple by Kindelin, a two-run double by Alex Tooley and an RBI single by Woten, giving BU a 7-1 advantage. 

Bellevue added three more runs in the fifth on three hits, sparked by an RBI double by Ashley Gigax and a ground-out RBI by Kindelin, to push to lead to 10-1. 

STU got a run back in the bottom of the fifth scoring a run when Jessica Matias scored from third as Christina Horton was caught stealing at second.

Kelli Fisher (2-1) collected the win, allowing five hits and a walk, while striking out five in five innings.