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Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

COLUMBUS – The Capital University softball team extended its winning streak to 13 games and made a little history Thursday, knocking off Bluffton in back-to-back non-conference games at Clowson Field.

With a 10-2 triumph in six innings in the first game and a 4-1 victory in the nightcap, the Crusaders (30-8 overall) matched the program's all-time high for wins in a season. The Crusaders last reached 30 wins in 2002, also the most recent season the team won the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season championship.

In the opener Thursday, Capital tallied three runs in the top of the first and, after the Beavers (17-17) closed to within a run in the top of the fourth, plated three in the bottom of the fourth and four in the sixth to end the contest by run rule.

Sophomore centerfielder Kelsey Swain (Pickerington, Ohio) finished 4-for-4 with three runs scored to lead the Crusaders. Senior first baseman Lexi Majoy (Huron, Ohio) was 2-for-3 with two runs and a run batted in, while sophomore left fielder LeAnna Cotton (Okeechobee, Fla.), freshman designated player Lacey Romero (Mechanicsburg, Ohio) and freshman third baseman Katlyn Simpson (Loudonville, Ohio) added two hits apiece.

Sophomore pitcher Brooke Billings (Clyde, Ohio) improved to 14-4 with the win, scattering eight hits over six innings while striking out a pair.

After Majoy singled through the left side to plate senior shortstop Devan Boggs (West Jefferson, Ohio) in the first, sophomore catcher Maura Rose (Williamsport, Pa.) brought in two more with a run-scoring double down the left field line. Capital added to its lead in the fourth on an RBI single by Simpson and a two-run Bluffton error.

The Crusaders made it a walk-off victory in the bottom of the sixth following a two-run single by Cotton and a wild pitch that plated runners from second and third.

In the second game, Capital tallied in each of the first three innings to give sophomore pitcher Alyssa Patznick (Newark, Ohio) all the run support she needed. The right-hander struck out three and surrendered just six hits in her 16th win of the season, a complete-game effort.

Majoy started the scoring in the bottom of the first with a double to center to tie the score at 1-1, then Simpson put the Crusaders ahead for good with an RBI on a fielder's choice groundout.

In the third, Romero plated a run with a single up the middle. Capital tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on a Cotton base hit through the right side.

The Beavers brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the top of the seventh, but Patznick stranded two more runners and ended the affair with a called strike three.

The Crusaders can clinch at least a share of the OAC regular season title by winning 1-of-2 against Otterbein on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Clowson Field. With two wins, Capital would guarantee itself the conference crown outright and host the OAC Tournament, which begins a week from Friday.

Majoy, Boggs and fellow senior Katie Neely (Sugar Grove, Ohio) will be recognized for their contributions after the first game and prior to Game 2 of the doubleheader in their final regular season home date.