HILLSBORO, Kan. – Kansas weather has always been unpredictable and that continues to be the case, as the weather for Senior Day for Bluejay Softball was cold and cloudy. The Bluejay women hosted Ottawa in their final home series of the season, and their second to last regular season series. The Bluejays were coming off a series sweep over Sterling on Wednesday, which propelled Tabor into the eighth spot in the KCAC standings, while the Braves came off a split series with Friends.
 
The Bluejays came into the series looking for their first win over Ottawa since April 27^th, 2019 when the Bluejays took a game off the Braves in Hillsboro, 10-2. 
 
Softball fans got exactly what they wanted with an exciting pitching duel in the circle in the first game between the Bluejays' ace, Marisa Carranza, and the Braves' ace Ashlynn Mercer. The Braves broke the scoring stalemate in the top of the 4^th Inning, with an RBI-double down the left field line and added two more runs in the 5^th to take a 3-0 lead against the Bluejays. 
 
The Bluejays got things going in the bottom of the 6^th Inning, with Darcy Gillen hitting an RBI-double to drive in Laura Savage, followed by an error committed by the Braves that allowed Payten Staley to get on base, sending Gillen and Cheyenne Washington in to score two unearned runs to knot the score a 3-3. Neither team was able to make anything happen in the 7^th, sending the game into extra innings, providing even more excitement on an already exciting day.
 
The Braves wasted no time and scored three more runs in the top of the 8^th, but the Bluejays would not let those runs go unanswered, with Reese Hefley driving in Savage for an RBI-double down the left field line, Jordyn Farren driving in Hefley with an RBI-single to right center field, and Washington scoring an unearned run thanks to another error committed by the Braves. The Braves sent in one more run to score in the top of the 9^th and the Bluejays answered and evened up the score, with an RBI-double to right center field from Lauren Roberts. Laura Savage stepped into the batter's box with no outs and an opportunity to make something happen for the Bluejays and she certainly delivered, making contact with the very first pitch she was offered and sending it over the fence in left center field for the only homerun of the first game, giving the Bluejays the game one win over the Braves in walk-off fashion.
 
The Braves drew the first blood in game two, scoring off a wild pitch. The Bluejays did not answer until the bottom of the 5^th Inning, when Roberts came in to score an unearned run off an error by the Braves' first baseman. Ottawa scored three more runs in the top of the 6^th, taking a 3-1 lead. Nine more runs came across the plate for the Braves in the top of the 7^th and it looked like it would be a tall task for the Bluejays to try to pull back into the game. 
 
11 runs came in to score for the Bluejays in the bottom of the 7^th, including a Grand Slam from Farren, but Farren wasn't able to take advantage of another opportunity with the bases loaded, and the Bluejays would come up short, sropping game two, 13-11.
 
The Bluejays pulled into seventh place in the KCAC standings and will take on bitter rival Bethel College on Tuesday in North Newton. First pitch will take place at 5pm and the series will be broadcast live on the KCAC Network.
 
Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.
 
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).