The Pilots' bats started off slow but eventually returned to form in a 10-1 opening game victory over the University of Virginia-Wise on Thursday afternoon at the NAIA National Championship.



Virginia-Wise got the scoring started first with a single run in the bottom of the third inning, but Bethel answered with a single run in the top of the fourth inning thanks to and RBI single by Brittney Fisher.

The Pilots took the lead the following inning after Tara Blair got on base with an infield single and then advanced to second on a stolen base. Holly Weaver came up with the go ahead RBI on a single to second base which scored Blair.

Bethel starter Brittney Hire held Virginia-Wise in check for much of the afternoon as she threw six innings giving up four hits and one run for the win.

With the game still in doubt, however, Hire gave way to Rachel Zirille with the tying run on second base and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Zirille needed just one pitch to get a ground out to end the inning and Cavs threat.

With momentum on their side, the Pilots bats awoke in the top of the seventh inning for eight runs to seal the victory. The big inning was highlighted by a pair of three run homers coming off the bats of Katie Boocher and Kaitlyn Dubois.

The Pilots return to action on Friday morning with a 10:30 matchup with the College of Idaho. Follow all the action with live stats by clicking on the following link: www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Tournament/TournamentPage.aspx