LINCOLN, Neb. -- A massive eight-run third inning powered the Bellevue University softball team to a thrilling 8-7 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan University Tuesday evening at the Sandhills Global Youth Complex.
The win avenged a 7-2 loss to the Prairie Wolves back on March 26, also in Lincoln. BU improved to 13-14 on the season, while NWU dropped to 17-5 overall.
Nebraska Wesleyan struck first, as Paige Davison scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first. Addi Duranski extended the NWU lead to 2-0 with a solo home run to center in the second inning.
The Bruins erupted for eight runs in the top of the third, sparked by a two-run single from Mariah Unverzagt. Breanne McMurtry followed with a run-scoring double to center, Savannah Short added a two-run double to right, and Miranda Garcia capped the inning with a three-run homer to left field.
NWU responded immediately in the bottom half of the third when Davison launched a two-run homer to center to cut the deficit to 8-4.
The Prairie Wolves kept the pressure on in the fifth. Lyndsey Roth and Val Gerlach each delivered RBI doubles, and Kamdyn Sprunk added a run-scoring single to make it a one-run game at 8-7.
BU's Katie Cunningham entered the circle in the bottom of the sixth and shut things down from there, allowing just one baserunner while striking out two over the final two innings to earn her second save of the season.
Unverzagt (2-1) picked up the win for the Bruins, working three innings while allowing five hits and striking out four without a walk. Eva Farnbruch (5-3) took the loss for NWU, giving up eight runs on nine hits in 2.2 innings.
The Bruins return to action on Wednesday (April 2) with a 4 p.m. non-conference game at Doane University in Crete, Neb.
