By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
On Friday, the Bennington Lady Bulldogs handled their business at home, sweeping Ell-Saline in a late-season softball doubleheader to extend their win streak to 14 games.
Game One: Bennington 15, Ell-Saline 3
The Lady Bulldogs did their damage early in game one, plating four runs in the first and second and three more in the third before closing it out in explosive fashion in the sixth.
Gracie Caswell, Brooklyn Murk, Rylee Benien, Brooklyn Clark, and Kailea Nisbeth combined to reach base 15 times, scoring 13 of Bennington’s 15 runs.
Down to their final out in the top of the fifth, Grace Heil kept the game alive for the Lady Cards, smacking a 2-RBI single into left field, but that triumph was short-lived as Caswell blasted a three-run homer to clinch a run-rule shortened victory in the sixth.
Haylee Blake was excellent in the circle, allowing just three runs on five hits and striking out six while refusing to yield a single walk.
Game Two: Bennington 10, Ell-Saline 0
Blake took to the circle for game two and picked up right where she left off, tossing a complete-game shutout and holding Ell-Saline to just two hits while fanning six.
Once again, Bennington jumped out to an early lead, striking for six in the second and three more in the third to hold an early 9-0 edge.
After smacking two triples in the opener, Kailea Nisbeth caused chaos on the basepaths in game two, legging out an infield single, reaching on a single to left, and ultimately forcing a bad throw that allowed the game-winning run to come to the plate.
With this sweep, Bennington improves to 16-2 while Ell-Saline slides to 6-12.
You can watch both of these games on-demand any time below.