ALLIANCE, Ohio – The No. 25 nationally ranked Mount Union softball team lost in an elimination game in the Ohio Athletic Conference Softball Tournament against Muskingum 7-6 on Saturday afternoon.

The Fighting Muskies (28-12, 14-4 OAC) struck first with a three run third inning, scoring off of RBIs from Natalie Smith, Eliana Shaheen and Kenzie Standerfer to take a 3-0 lead.

The Purple Raiders (32-8, 15-1 OAC) would respond with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the same inning, the first coming off an RBI single from junior Adri George (Eastlake / North) and then a two-run homerun from sophomore Kendyll Cahill (Grove Port / Grove Port Madison) to tie the game three runs apiece.

Muskingum would reclaim the lead in the top half of the fourth scoring two runs off RBIs from Sadie Smith and Natalie Smith to take a 5-3 lead. Mount Union would answer in the fifth inning with a run of their own when Cahill hit her second homerun of the game to cut the lead to a run.

The Muskies would push the lead back up to three runs in the top of the sixth inning when Smith hit a two RBI double, making the lead 7-4. The Raiders would answer again in the bottom half of the same inning when sophomore Kaitlyn Culver (Girard) scored after an error by the Muskingum shortstop and then freshman Karlie Davis (St. Lean, Ind. / East Central) scored on a wild pitch to once again cut the lead to a run but that is as close as the Raiders would get as the Muskies would go on to win 7-6.

Cahill got the start in the circle for Mount Union and gave up seven runs on 15 hits and struck out three in the complete game effort.

The Raiders will now have to wait and see if they get an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament when the NCAA Tournament Selection Show airs at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 13.