Women's Softball
Softball Wins Again At NAIA National Championship
Game Summary
The NAIA No. 8 Bethel College Pilots moved one step closer to a trip to the final eight of the NAIA National Championship with an 8-4 victory over the College of Idaho on Friday morning.
The College of Idaho loaded the bases in the first inning, but Bethel started Katie Boocher was able to get out of the jam un-scaved. Mandy Cripe did not allow the same thing to happen to the Pilots as she blasted a three run homer in the bottom half of the inning as a part of a four run opening frame.
On a hot and humid day, Boocher was only able to go three innings as she gave way to Rachel Zirille with the Pilots up 5-0. Zirille seemed to be cruising along as she retired the first three Coyote batters until the fifth inning when a Heather Dixon grand slam brought the game to within a run. The slam was Dixon’s 18 homerun of the season.
The Pilots, however, quickly answered back with a solo blast by Cripe in the bottom half of the inning and a two run shot by Boocher in the bottom of the sixth to lead to the final margin.
Despite a shaky fifth inning, Zirille pitched well and shut the Coyotes out for the remainder of the game.
With a new school record of 52-6, the Pilots look to clinch the pool H victory when they take on NAIA No. 9 Martin Methodist College on Saturday morning at 9:00 am. Follow the game with live stats by clicking on the following link: www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Tournament/TournamentPage.aspx
