DECATUR, Ill. (March 1, 2020) - The Buena Vista softball team bounced back on Sunday in a big way, winning a pair of games against Millikin University on Sunday to move its season record back to .500 while also giving head coach
Mandie Nocita her 100th career victory.
After being swept in a doubleheader by Calvin on Saturday, the Beavers came out of the gate swinging against Milikin, scoring three times in the first inning, including a two-run double by
Carlee Guyett. The junior then plated two more runs in the second inning when she singled to center to put BVU in front. 5-0.
Sydney Carroll followed later in the inning with a two-run single of her own to make it 7-0.
The Big Blue got on the board with two runs in the second and one more in the third to make it 7-3 before BVU took advantage of some poor defense to extend its cushion up to 10-3. Millikin did claw back to within three at 10-7 in the fifth but that would prove to be the game's final score. The win gave BVU head coach
Mandie Nocita her 100th career victory, making her just the second coach in program history to do so (Marge Willadsen, 569).
Guyett was 3-for-4 with a double, five RBI and three runs scored while
Michaela Mason followed with two hits and three runs scored. As a team, the Beavers stole 11 bases in the contest which is the most for a game in program history since at least 2004.
In game two, it was a big seven-run sixth inning that broke the game open for the Beavers en route to an 11-4 triumph.
Savanna Pohlmann had a two-run single in the inning while Guyett added a two-run double. Guyett got the scoring started in the first inning with an RBI groundout to make it 1-0. The Big Blue responded in the home half with one run before taking a 3-1 lead in the third. BVU trailed 3-2 heading to the sixth but never trailed after the big inning.
Mason, Guyett and
Carrie Dose each doubled in the game as BVU had eight hits overall. Mckynze Hansen had a team-high two as six others had one. The team chalked up five more stolen bases, including two from Pohlmann.
Ashtyn Miller went six innings and allowed three earned runs and four hits while striking out five.
Buena Vista improves to 3-3 on the year and will return to the state of Illinois again next weekend where it will play six games over a three-day span.
