ALLIANCE, Ohio – The no. 12 nationally ranked Mount Union softball team defeated Lebanon Valley in the first round of the NCAA Tournament 7-2 on Thursday afternoon.
The Purple Raiders (30-6) would strike first in the bottom half of the first inning when freshman
Alli Hodgkinson (Akron / Manchester) hit a two-RBI double to left center field that scored seniors
Faith Reicosky (North Canton / Hoover) and
Kendyll Cahill (Groveport / Groveport Madison) to take a 2-0 lead.
Mount Union would add to that lead in the third inning when Cahill hit a two-run homer to right center to push the lead out to four runs. Then, in the bottom of the fifth inning freshman
Addy Antonetz (Zanesville / West Muskingum) hit a two-RBI single that scored sophomore
Allison Jones (Berlin Center / Western Reserve) and senior
Sydney Mercer (Salem / West Branch) to extend the lead to 6-0.
The Flying Dutchmen (26-16) would answer with two runs of their own in the top half of the sixth when Nicole Kratz hit a two-RBI double to trim the lead down to four runs. Then, in the bottom half of that same inning Mercer would hit an RBI triple to bring in senior
Kaitlyn Culver (Girard) to push the lead back out to five runs.
Lebanon Valley wouldn't be able to answer in the top of the seventh inning and Mount Union would go on to win 7-2.
Cahill got the start in the circle for Mount Union and threw seven scoreless innings, giving up just five hits and striking out 11. Sophomore
Emma Reemsnyder (Canton / GlenOak) would come in to pitch in relief, giving up two runs, one earned and one hit.
With the win the Raiders advance to tomorrow's Regional Semifinal game where they will take on Christopher Newport at 11 a.m. in Alliance.
