Leesburg, Fla. -- On the first day of the Florida stretch, the Cougars took the field early in the day for a matchup against Bluffton University where they came out victorious 2-0. 
 
Taking control early, Holly Bathje (Davis Junction, Ill.) struck out the first batter of the game to kick things off. With the defense backing her up, the Cougars closed the inning with two plays at first. 
 
In their first inning at bat Tegan Oas (Shingle Springs, Calif.) reached first with a hit to the third base side and beating the throw. After stealing second and advancing to third during Jessica Geng's (Phoenix, Ariz.) at bat, Oas was in scoring position with two outs to go. A Beaver double play ended the inning before Oas had the opportunity to get home. 
 
In the bottom of the fourth, the Cougars kicked it in high gear after a leadoff triple from Geng gave them the momentum. When Nia DeGeorge (Omaha, Neb.) stepped up to the plate, a single to left center sent Geng home putting the Cougars on the board for the first time. Another single up the right field line, this time from Carole Ross (Whittier, Calif.), moved runners around the bases. A sacrifice fly from Nikita Robbins (Lafayette, Ind.) sent DeGeorge home, scoring their second and final run of the game. 
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the Cougars rallied again to fill the bases in an attempt to add some tallies on the board. After Ross sent one up the right line, Gina Westphal (Elmhurst, Ill.) followed behind with a single. The duo advanced to second and third, but were unable to secure the runs.
 
With two outs to go in the top of the seventh, a double play from Oas to Sydney Paulauskis-Lauher (Chatham, Ill.) was all that was needed to close the game and secure the team's first win of the season.
 
Bathje took the win on the day, bringing her to 1-1 on the season while five different Cougars grabbed hits. 
 
The second game of the day was unfortunately cancelled, leaving the Cougars 1-0 thus far on the week. They'll be back in action tomorrow at 10:15 and 12:15 est. Livestats are available for the games at cucougars.com/coverage.