Streak moves to 10, BU downs Stritch, Concordia (MI)
Bellevue 2, Cardinal Stritch 1; Bellevue 8, Concordia (Mich) 1
Cardinal Stritch Box Score
Concordia Box Score
CLERMONT, Fla. -- The Bellevue University softball team extended its winning streak to 10 games following a pair of victories Friday in the Bruins' final day of action at the National Training Center Spring Games.
Bellevue (18-7) defeated Cardinal Stritch University, 2-1, in the opening game of the day, followed by an 8-1 victory over Concordia (Mich.) University in the nightcap.
The Bruins will open the home portion of their schedule with a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Wednesday, March 15, against the University of Saint Mary (Kan.) at the Lied Activity Center Field.
Bellevue 2, Cardinal Stritch 1
Erin Sharpe blasted her 11th home run of the season to give the Bruins an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second.
The Wolves knotted the game up at 1-1, scoring on a Bruin fielding error by second basemen Michaela Miller in the top of the third.
Kaitlyn Kinman drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single to center field that scored Sarah Zeleny in the bottom of the fifth inning, giving BU a 2-1 advantage.
Starter Kelli Fisher allowed just one base-runner in the final two innings to earn her 10th win of the season.
Fisher (10-3) scattered four hits with four strikeouts and no walks in seven innings of work.
Bellevue 8, Concordia (Mich) 1
The Bruins outhit the Cardinals, 14-5, and used the solid pitching combination of Sharpe and Fisher to record the 8-1 win in BU's tournament finale.
Neither team scored until a ground-out RBI by Sayde Woten and an RBI single by Emily Gigax gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning.
The Cardinals quickly responded in the bottom of the fourth, scoring on an RBI single by Kendall Sampang to slice the lead to 2-1.
The Bruins loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fifth and Alex Tooley drove in two runs with a single to left field to increase the BU advantage to 4-1.
CU got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth when Kara Gehrke replaced starter Jessica England and forced a line out and fly out to end the threat, keeping the score at 4-1.
A pair of two-run homers by Woten and Hannah Carter pushed the Bruin lead to 8-1 in the top of the seventh frame.
Woten finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a home run to lead the BU offense.
Fisher earned her second win of the day, improving to 11-3 on the season. She allowed just one hit while striking out two and walking none in 3.1 innings in the circle. Sharpe did not allow an earned run while giving up four hits with one strikeout in 3.2 innings of work.