BETHANY, W.V. (Apr. 18)- The Saint Vincent softball team split a doubleheader at Bethany on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Bearcats won the opener 7-3, before falling in the finale by a score of 5-0.
 
Game 1- Saint Vincent 7, Bethany 3
The Saint Vincent College softball team opened Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader with a 7-3 victory over Bethany College at Bison Softball Field. Saint Vincent improved to 17-14 overall and 9-8 in PAC play with the win.
 
After two scoreless innings, the Bearcats broke through in the top of the third. Mackenzie Favero singled to begin the rally before Eva Farone reached on a bunt error.
 
Emily Dudenhoeffer followed with a base hit, setting the table for Alyssa Henderson, who lined a two-run single up the middle to score Favero and Farone. Later in the inning, Abby Bauer singled to center to plate Dudenhoeffer and give Saint Vincent a 3-0 lead.
 
Bethany answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to trim the deficit to 3-2, using a pair of doubles to climb back into the game.
 
The Bearcats responded immediately in the top of the fifth with their biggest inning of the afternoon. Josey Michalski singled down the left-field line before Bauer reached on an error. Taylor Williams then dropped down a bunt single that led to a throwing error, allowing Michalski to score.
 
Shayna Perigo followed with a sacrifice bunt that brought home Bauer, and Favero later added an RBI single to center to score Williams as Saint Vincent extended the lead to 6-2.
 
The Bearcats added an insurance run in the sixth when Michalski doubled to right center and later scored on Bauer's RBI single to right center, pushing the margin to the 7-3 final.
Saint Vincent totaled 10 hits in the victory. Bauer paced the offense with two hits and two RBIs, while Michalski finished with two hits and two runs scored. Favero also recorded two hits with an RBI, and Henderson's two-run single highlighted the early scoring surge.
 
In the circle, the Bearcats received a complete-game effort from Natalie Bizup, limiting Bethany to three runs while working around traffic in key moments. Saint Vincent's defense also backed the pitching staff with timely plays throughout the afternoon.
 
Game 2- Bethany 5, Saint Vincent 0
The Saint Vincent College softball team fell 5-0 to Bethany College in game two of Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader at Bison Field.
 
With the split, the Bearcats moved to 17-15 overall and 9-9 in PAC play.
 
After Saint Vincent claimed the opener earlier in the afternoon, Bethany responded in the nightcap behind a strong pitching performance and timely offense.
 
The Bison broke through in the bottom of the second inning, scoring two runs to take an early 2-0 lead. Bethany added another run in the third to extend the advantage to 3-0, then tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth inning to account for the 5-0 final.
 
Saint Vincent was limited to seven hits on the afternoon but threatened on multiple occasions. The Bearcats put runners aboard in several innings, however Bethany was able to work out of trouble and keep Saint Vincent off the scoreboard.
 
Offensively, the Bearcats were led by a balanced effort at the plate, as seven different Saint Vincent players each recorded one hit. The Bearcats were unable to string together the timely hit needed to cut into the deficit.
 
In the circle, Mya McHugh took the loss for Saint Vincent, dropping to 2-2 on the season. Bethany's Victoria Wehrberger earned the complete-game shutout victory to improve to 8-2.
 
Despite the setback, Saint Vincent secured a road split in the conference doubleheader after earning a 7-3 victory in game one. The Bearcats return to action Tuesday, April 21, with a PAC road twinbill at Waynesburg University. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Waynesburg on Tuesday.