BLUEFIELD – It was a battle of the Rams Saturday afternoon at Graham Rec Park as the Bluefield University Rams hosted the Columbia International University Rams in Appalachian Athletic Conference softball action. In the end it was CIU who took the doubleheader on a day where a constant wind of 20-plus miles an hour plagued the games with occasional gusts reaching 45 or more miles per hour.
GAME ONE
CIU 5, BLUEFIELD 0
In the opener CIU broke through with a pair of runs in the third, one in the fourth, and another deuce in the fifth. CIU out-hit BU 10-4. Bluefield got hits from Alexis McDuffie, Hallie Cox, Jenna Atwell, and MacKenzie Franklin. Cox pitched a complete game in the circle for BU and picked up four strikeouts.
GAME TWO
CIU 5, BLUEFIELD 4
Game two saw CIU plate two runs in the fist and one in the second before BU pushed two runs across the plate in the third to make it 3-2. CIU went ahead 5-2 in the fourth, and the Rams pulled within a run in the fifth.
Gianna Sloan-Lebron, Kristina Sanchez, and McDuffie each had a pair of hits and Chloe Hicks had a two-run home run and finished with three RBIs. Franklin suffered the loss in the circle. She worked five innings. Ali Glover made her collegiate debut. Glover pitched the final two innings and gave up a hit and struck out one.
The Rams are back in action Sunday at Montreat College.