TIFFIN – The Heidelberg University softball team christened Frann's Field with a pair of last at-bat victories over Bluffton University on Wednesday. Lisa Simmons connected on a two-out two-run single to win the first game in the eighth and a Mikaela Mitsch double, coupled with dusk, sent the Student Princes to a five-inning win in the nightcap.

With the sweep, Heidelberg improved to 12-4 overall while Bluffton slipped to 9-10.

Frann's Field, made possible by a generous donation by alum Frann Zverina, held up well despite a week of strange weather. An inch of snow fell on Monday, which forced the games to be pushed back from their original day on Tuesday. Rain throughout the early hours on Wednesday threatened the games yet again.

"It was been a long time since we have had our own house," said head coach Betsy Hada, whose team played off-campus for the past three seasons. "We were determined to defend it today."

Bluffton forced extra innings in the opener by plating a run in the seventh. In the eighth, the leadoff hitter Josie McElroy smashed a home run to center. The blast scored Jess Kuzara, who was placed on second to start the inning according to the international tiebreaker rule. With two outs and Carly Levindofske on second, Brittany Huff hit a ball to the left of HU shortstopKayla Zachrich. Zachrich dove and knocked the ball down in shallow left. Levindofske was waved home, but Zachrich threw a bullet to Mitsch at the plate. Mitsch applied the tag for the third out.

Down a pair, the first two Student Princes grounded out . Mitsch singled down the left field line, scoring Taylor Hicks who was aboard because of the tiebreaker rule. Kayla Zachrich followed with a single to center and moved to second on the throw to third. Pinch runnerJordan Hux moved to third on the play. Next, Kyleah Brey was hit in the foot, which loaded the bases.

With a 3-1 count, Simmons pulled a fastball past a diving Huff at shortstop. Hux and Zachrich crossed the plate, completing the comeback. It capped a wild win, in which Heidelberg led 4-1 after the first.

Bluffton's Ariana Muffo hit a three-run homer in the fifth, marking the first round-tripper in Frann's Field history. As part of a five-RBI afternoon, Mitsch hit Heidelberg's first homer at the venue in the sixth.

Cori Long (5-1) picked up the win in the first game in relief of starter Erin Chapman.

"We have a never-say-die attitude – if we have an out, we have a chance," said Hada. "Lisa came up to the plate with the confidence that she was going to get the job done. I could see it. She put the team on her back and produced."

Compared to the first game, the second contest featured less firepower and less sunlight. As the sun set behind the third base dugout, both teams struggled to find a rhythm offensively. Heidelberg scored single runs in the first and second – thanks to an RBI double by Zachrich and a run-scoring single by Renee Lovett – but did nothing in the third and fourth.

Trailing by a pair in the fifth, Bluffton rallied to tie the game with three hits off of starter Abbie Finnell. With the go-ahead run on third, Finnell struck out Kuzara to end the frame.

In the bottom of the inning, Marissa Smego reached and moved to second on a throwing error. A groundout by Kaitlin Keys pushed pinch runner Kendall Queen to third. She scored on a two-out double to right field by Mitsch.

The game continued through the top of the sixth – in which Bluffton tied it at 3-3 – but after the first pitch in the bottom of the inning buzzed past the head of Hux at the plate, the game was halted.

Though a trifle anticlimactic, the win put an end to a memorable day in the history of Heidelberg softball.

"We are extremely thankful for all of our donors and the people who worked hard to make our complex a reality," said Hada.

EXTRA BASES: Simmons had the walk-off single -- on her 21st birthday ... Zachrich was 5-for-7 on the day with a pair of doubles and Mitsch was 4-for-7 with a double and a home run ... In 13 innings of play, the teams combined for only four strikeouts ... At 12-4, Heidelberg is off to its best 16-game start since the 2011 team was 13-3.

ON DECK: The Student Princes return to conference action at home on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Muskingum Universty. On Sunday, Case Western Reserve visits Frann's Field for a non-conference doubleheader. The battle with the Spartans will start at 2 p.m.