Miller’s perfect day at the plate extends Bruins win streak
Emily Miller was 5-for-5 at the plate and is now 9 for her last 13 at-bats (.692)
BELLEVUE, Neb. -- It doesn't matter where she plays defensively, Emily Miller continues to swing a hot bat for the Bellevue University softball team. Miller was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate while playing second base, third base, and right field to raise her average to .449 and lead the Bruins to a North Star Athletic Association sweep over visiting Waldorf College on Saturday afternoon at the Lied Center.
Bellevue won a pitcher's duel in the opener by a 2-1 margin and when the offenses came alive in the nightcap the Bruins claimed a 9-5 victory. The Bruins run their win streak to five in a row and improve their overall mark to 13-13 (5-1 North Star) while Waldorf drops to 7-15 (3-3 North Star) on the season.
BU and Waldorf continue their four-game set tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the Lied Center.
Game One: Bellevue 2, Waldorf 1
Kelli Fisher (10-8, 1.48) threw seven solid innings, holding Waldorf to just one run on seven hits while retiring five batters via strikeout and Sayde Woten's double to right field provided the Bruins just enough offense in a 2-1 victory over the Warriors.
The first three and a half innings hummed along at a quick rate as the teams combined for just four hits through the first 24 outs.
The Bruins struck first in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Emily Miller and Erin Sharpe led off the inning with a walk and single through the left side, respectively. Both runners advanced 60 feet on a bunt from Kayla Young ahead of an Alex Tooley walk. With the bases loaded and two outs, following a fielder's choice, Woten doubled to right to chase home both Sharpe and Tooley for a 2-0 BU lead.
Fisher retired six of the next seven batters she faced headed into the seventh inning with neither side posing much of an offensive threat in either the fifth or sixth.
Jessica Abrahamson led off the seventh with a triple to right field for the Warriors. A groundout and a strikeout had BU primed to secure the shutout but Ashton May reached on an infield single to chase home Abrahamson and prolong the game. Fisher struck out the next batter to finish Waldorf off and allow BU the victory.
Andrea Hartmann took the loss for Waldorf despite going six innings and holding the Bruins to two runs on five hits. She struck out four and walked four others.
The game was played in a crisp one hour and 27 minutes.
Game Two: Bellevue 9, Waldorf 5
Bellevue built an early lead and withstood a Waldorf rally to down the Warriors, 9-5, in the second game of today's double-header.
Emily Miller was one of the offensive stars for the Bruins with a 3-for-3 effort, two RBI, and two runs scored. Emily Gigax had a two-hit and two-run game while driving in another run. Erin Sharpe and Kayla Young each had multi-RBI games, driving in two and three, respectively.
The Bruins' non-conference schedule continued to pay dividends in terms of preparation. BU scored three runs in the opening inning with the big blow coming on a two-run double by Sharpe who took third on the throw to the plate. She came in to score a batter later on a sac fly from Young.
Emily Miller singled up the middle to push the Bruin lead to 4-0 in the second.
The two teams traded single runs in each the third and fourth innings. The score stood at 6-2 in favor of the hosts headed into the fifth.
In the fifth, Waldorf hung three runs of their own to close the deficit to one run at 6-5. Hartmann had an RBI-groundout, Kaitlin Murphy drove home a run with a double, and Maggie Eden chased a run in with a base knock.
A four-pitch bottom of the fourth brought the Waldorf bats back to the dish in the sixth but Fisher made short work of the Warriors, setting down the side in order.
The Bruins added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth with and RBI-single from Gigax and a two-run single from Young to account for the final 9-5 margin.
Sharpe (3-5, 2.35) picked up the win in the circle with a solid outing that afforded Fisher some rest. Fisher came on for the last three innings to pick up the save, allowing a run on four hits.
Maggie Hawley suffered the loss after being chased early for Waldorf. She was charged with three earned runs (four total) on three hits and a trio of walks in just two innings of work.