CLERMONT, Fla. – Bemidji State University Softball finished the Spring Games with 8-6 record at the tournament and 13-11 overall. The Beavers took down Queens College and No. 16 University of Indianapolis Thursday, then fell to Emporia State University and Saint Martin's University Friday.
Starting out the final stretch of the team's annual trip to Florida, the Beavers defeated the Knights, 9-1, in five innings. Early scoring for BSU put the team up 1-0 after one inning off a
Molly Houts single that sent
Alexa Christenson into home plate. QC tied it up at the start of the second, but BSU answered back with three runs from
Morgan Benedict,
Alexa Christenson and
Calleigh Richards. They added five more in the fifth frame to pull ahead and gain the run rule over the Knights.
A huge win for the Beavers came in game two on Thursday, a 1-0 victory over the No. 16 UIndy Greyhounds. The Beavers scored at the top of the third with
Mariah Stevenson doubling and bringing
Aimee Christenson in on the throw. BSU outscored and out hit UIndy with six hits against the Greyhounds' four. This marked the Beavers' first win over a ranked team since taking down then No. 9 Rogers State University, 6-1, in St. Joseph, MO on Mar. 21, 2021.
The final day of competition didn't fare well for BSU with a 2-0 loss to Emporia State and 6-0 loss to Saint Martin's. The loss to Emporia was marked with five errors on the Beaver defense, including a catcher's interference call on
Alayna DeGraef which set ESU up to load the bases and score on a walk the next play. Even with two more hits than SMU in game two, 7-5, the Beavers were unable to get on the board and find a run, falling 6-0.
Over the week, BSU totaled 75 runs scored, 124 hits and 17 multi-base hits. The Beaver pitching staff competed 96 innings and allowed 92 hits with 39 earned runs for a combined ERA of 0.82. They allowed 17 multi-base hits, matching the Beaver offense. The team also saw two program records change as BSU marked a program single-game record of 18 runs scored against Point Park University and
Molly Houts took home the program's career hit-by-pitch record, now moving it to 28.
Next weekend, the Beavers kick of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with competition against Concordia University, St. Paul Saturday and Southwest Minnesota State University Sunday. Games will be available via live stats and the NSIC Network for streaming.
For more information on the Bemidji State Softball program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversSB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversSB).
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
