MINOT, N.D. – The Bemidji State University Softball team won both its games in day two of the Bubble Invite, starting the day with an 8-2 victory over University of Providence (Mont.) and then shut out Carroll College 8-0 in five innings. The Beavers earn their first wins since the first game of the season, improving to 3-4.
Molly Houts started the scoring for the Beavers in the early game with her first homerun of the season to leadoff the second inning. Later in the inning,
Mariah Stevenson hit a three-run blast to left-center to give BSU a four-run lead over Providence (0-2) entering the third inning.
Aimee Christenson singled and
Kora Martin walked in front of the homerun. The Argonauts responded in the following inning pushing two runs across the plate. Houts drew a walk in the bottom of the third and advanced to third off two wild pitches but was left stranded. Martin scored off an error to add another run in the fourth and Stevenson followed that up by stealing home to go up 6-2. Both reached base without a hit with Martin drawing a walk and Stevenson being hit-by-pitch. Two innings later, Martin scored for the second time after another error as she opened the inning with a double and Houts drove in the final run with a sac fly.
Kyla Damerow (1-2) earned her first win of the season after pitching all seven innings. Damerow allowed only eight hits and two earned runs. The Argonauts batters were unable to draw a single walk and two fell victim to Damerow strikeouts. The final out was recorded by a 4-3 double play.
Both teams tallied eight hits, with
Aimee Christenson leading the Beavers with three hits. Martin and Stevenson added two-hit games. Martin and Stevenson each scored three runs, while Stevenson drove in three. A day after Bemidji State committed five errors in the field, the defense was perfect against Providence with no errors.
The Beavers continued where they left off when they took on Carroll College in the nightcap. Following a scoreless first inning, Houts started the scoring with a double in the second inning and the following batter
Emmarie Yeager drove two more runs home with a double to center field. After reaching home three times in the previous game, it was time for Martin to send in some runners herself when she singled through the right side to plate two and cap the five-run inning. With two outs recorded in the fourth inning, the Beavers strung together a three-run two-out rally.
Alexa Christenson singled to center for the RBI bringing home Stevenson who was hit-by-pitch. Herold followed with a ringing double to right to score a pair of runners to move BSU out to the 8-0 lead. The Beavers then held Carroll College (3-3) off the scoreboard in the fifth to force the run-rule victory.
Stella Dolan (2-2) pitched the full five innings holding Carroll College to zero runs and only six hits. Dolan forced six fly outs and eight ground outs, while the Beaver defense committed no errors for the second straight game. Dolan did not walk a single batter, but also did not strike one out either.
Bemidji State held an 8-6 edge in hits with
Alexa Christenson and Herold tallying two hits apiece. Herold, Martin and Yeager all drove in two runs.
The Beavers finish the Bubble Invite tomorrow (Sunday) with Montana State University, Billings with an 11:30 a.m. start. Following that game, Bemidji State will then be off until Mar. 5 when they will travel to Florida for The Spring Games.
For more information on the Bemidji State Softball program, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeaverssb), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) or sign up for the TXTUpdates from BSUBeavers.com text-messaging system through the "Multimedia" pull down menu on the main page of BSUBeavers.com.
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and women's hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
