Goshen, Ind. --- The Bethel Pilots (2-26, 1-17) break a 19-game losing streak after splitting Tuesday's doubleheader 10-2 and 5-1 to the Goshen College Maple Leafs (20-13, 12-8) and end the 2023 US Highway 20 Cup series with a 1-3 record.
GAME 1
The Maple Leafs went up 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI single up the middle and an RBI double to right center, then put up five more runs in the third with an RBI single, a two-run home run, 5-0 and a two-RBI single to the shortstop.
Emmie Pugh put the Pilots on the board in the top of the fourth with a home run to left center to get to 7-1. Goshen answered with three more insurance runs at the bottom of the frame.
Emily Kidwell homered to center field in the Pilots' last effort to rally but fell short 10-2 on the eight-run rule. Both home runs were the only hits for the Pilots in the matinée of the doubleheader.
GAME 2
Ryann Norris threw in the nightcap and kept the Maple Leafs at bay until the third inning, where an RBI double down the leftfield line scored the game's first run.
Kidwell drew a walk in the top of the fifth, which scored Alyssa Forys and tied the game at 1-1.
Pugh hit her second home run of the game and her third of the season in the bottom of the seventh to give the Pilots their second lead of the day. Kate Cooper followed up with a single to center field that scored Allison Snyder, who scored on an error by the centerfielder.
Lita Sills kept the rally going with a single to left field, and Kidwell scored on an error by the left fielder. Morgan Dyke scored Cooper on a ground out to the shortstop and gave the Pilots their first win since Mar. 1 against Benedictine University – Mesa in Arizona.
Norris threw a complete game to earn her second win of the season (2-9) as a starter after allowing only one run on seven hits, two walks, and five strikeouts.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Hannah Frady and Ryann Norris combined for only four walks between their outings.
- Bethel tied their team season high of 11 hits for the third time this season, and two of those three games resulted in wins.
NEXT TIME OUT
Bethel returns home to Gardner Field for a Crossroads League doubleheader on Friday, Apr. 14, against the Taylor Trojans.
For the latest information on each of Bethel University's 31 intercollegiate athletic teams, visit BUPilots.com or follow the Pilots on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @BUPilots or on YouTube at /BethelSportsNetwork.