ADA, Ohio – Mount Union's softball team split a pair of games in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament, beating Muskingum 8-0 in five innings in their first game and falling to Ohio Northern 6-4 in their second game on Saturday.
The Purple Raiders (22-16-1, 11-6-1 OAC) struck first with two runs in the top of the third inning when senior
Alyssa Rose (Madison) hit an RBI single that brought home juniors
Alexis Temple (Mentor) and
Grace Heath (Beloit / West Branch) to take a 2-0 lead. Mount Union would add to their lead in the top half of the fourth when Temple hit an RBI single to left field that scored sophomore
Lydia Wacker (Wellington / Black River).
The Raiders would extend the lead in the top of the fifth, scoring five runs, the first came off an RBI double from Rose that scored senior
Payton Guspyt (Port Washington / Indian Valley), then sophomore
Amanda Bish (Mercer, Pa.) laid down a bunt to bring home Rose. The third run of the inning came off an RBI single from freshman
Adri George (Eastlake / North) that scored senior
Hanna Ingram (Stow), then Bish and George scored after a pair of errors from the Muskies (30-10, 14-4 OAC) defense and would go on to win 8-0 in five innings.
Senior
Peyton Morrison (Canton / GlenOak) got the start in the circle for Mount Union and pitched a complete game shutout giving up just one hit and striking out five.
The Raiders would strike first again in their second game of the day against Ohio Northern with two runs in the top half of the first, the first run came off an RBI single from Rose that scored Heath and then George hit an RBI single that brought home Ingram.
The Polar Bears (23-9, 16-2 OAC) would answer with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, the first came when Abby Elliot scored on a Mount Union error, then the second run came off an RBI from Hannah Rubel. Mount Union would reclaim the lead in the top of the second inning, scoring two more runs. The first run came off an RBI single from Guspyt that scored Temple, then Guspyt scored after an error by the Ohio Northern third baseman to take a 4-2 lead.
Ohio Northern would once again answer in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two runs to tie the game at four. Both runs came off a two RBI single from Kaylie Griffin. The Polar Bears would claim their first lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring two runs with the first coming off an RBI single from Lauren Walls that scored Mariana Alejandro and then Elliot hit an RBI single to bring home Sydney Motylinski and take a 6-4 lead. After the Raiders failed to score in the top of the seventh Ohio Northern would go on to win 6-4.
Rose got the start in the circle for Mount Union, pitching a complete game and gave up six runs, four earned on nine hits and struck out two.
The Raiders return to action tomorrow taking on the winner of Muskingum and Otterbein at 11 a.m. in an elimination game in Ada, Ohio.
