TIFFIN -- On an emotional, blustery Sunday, the Heidelberg University softball team enjoyed a memorable doubleheader sweep of Baldwin Wallace. The Student Princes clinched the mercy-rule in the opener with a three-run homer, and rallied from a 10-1 deficit in the nightcap. With the wins, Heidelberg won the weekend series, 3-1.
HU won 10-2 and 18-10 -- two mercy-rule wins -- on a day in which the Heidelberg community mourned the
passing of sophomore Curtis Helman.
"I am so proud of the courage and focus our girls showed today, just to lace up the cleats and compete with heavy hearts," said Head Coach
Mari Deppe. "But to also come out of today with two wins is an added bonus."
Shelby Miller had a career day at the ballyard -- going a perfect 4-4, with a single, double, triple, and run-rule-clinching home run. She walked four times, scored five runs and drove in six.
Brooke Lewis drove in five runs and
Emma Dean drove in four runs.
Leah Bouillon,
Riley Cruse, and
Bailee Faulkner each had 3 RBI.
In fact, every player in Heidelberg's starting lineup had at least two hits on the day.
GAME ONE: BERG 10 BW 2 (5 innings)
A day after being stymied by BW's Nikki Camarati on Saturday, the Student Princes faired better on Sunday. Much better.
Miller tripled into the right field corner in the third inning, then scored on a wild pitch.
Ahead 1-0 in the fourth, Heidelberg pushed three runs across.
Leah Bouillon walked and scored on a hustle-double to right center by
Raye Hammond. With two on and two outs, Miller delivered a double to center, scoring both runners.
Baldwin Wallace scored their only runs of the game in the top of the fifth, plating a pair.
Undaunted, Heidelberg sealed the game with a six-run outburst in the bottom half of the inning. After
Brooke Lewis walked,
Bailee Faulkner blistered an RBI double off the top of the wall in center. Bouillon reached on a bunt single, but an errant throw to first allowed Faulkner to scamper home. With one out,
Riley Cruse plugged the gap in right center for a run-scoring double. Up 7-2, Miller ended the game with a three-run homer down the right field line.
The homer was the second of Miller's career.
Caitlin Dems earned her first collegiate victory, striking out two in five innings of work.
GAME TWO: BERG 18 BW 10 (6 innings)
Whatever the message that BW head coach Tom Spencer delivered between games was received quite well by the Yellow Jackets. BW scored seven runs in the first and three more in the third, taking a 10-1 lead.
Undeterred, Heidelberg began to chip away.
In the bottom of the third,
Hanna Blasinsky and Miller walked. They scored on a double to center by Lewis.
Kat Brady reached on a bunt single to lead off the fourth, then stole second. After Blasinsky singled, Brady scored on a wild pitch. Miller walked, then
Emma Dean sliced a triple into the left field corner, scoring two. Dean trotted home on a single inside the right field line by Bouillon, making the score 10-7.
Brady hit a one-out single in the fifth, kickstarting a game-tying rally. With two outs, Dean singled to left that scored Brady. On the throw, Miller and Dean moved into scoring position. Lewis blooped a single to left that scored the pair.
After wriggling out of a jam in the top of the sixth, the Student Princes kept their foot on the accelerator. It started with Hammond taking a pitch off the leg. Singles by Cruse and Brady loaded the bases. After a 1-2-3 double play, BW opted to intentionally walk Miller, reloading the bases. Dean sent a three-hopper to the right side of the infield, where it was bobbled momentarily. Dean beat the throw by a split second, which allowed Cruse to score the go-ahead run.
Heidelberg kept going. Lewis singled home a run, then Faulker doubled in two more. Ahead 14-10, the Student Princes pressed on. Bouillon doubled to center, driving in two more. After another error in the infield allowed Hammond to reach, Cruse doubled to right, plating two runs and securing the run rule.
Dems picked up the win, her second of the day, in a relief role. Rilee Tomsic, though, kept Heidelberg in the game by throwing 2.2 innings of scoreless relief while the offensive battled back into the game.
UP NEXT:
Heidelberg matches up with Capital University next Friday and Saturday -- a slight departure from the 2021 norm because of Easter. Friday's games are in Bexley, and Saturday's games are in Tiffin.
