(ADA, OH)--Mount Union College fell 7-3 to No. 6 in the nation Ohio Northern University in the championship game of the 2009 Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Sunday in Ada.
Ohio Northern, 35-3 overall, claimed the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by advancing to the title game.
Mount Union, 28-16 overall, will await word late Sunday or early Monday if they will claim one of 17 national at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament.
Northern started the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first inning on a Tina Mangola sacrifice fly RBI and an RBI single from Danille Goubeaux.
Mount Union closed the gap to 2-1 with a run in the third on an RBI double from Mara Palombaro (Boardman/Cardinal Mooney).
Two hits and an error gave Ohio Northern another run in the fourth to make it 3-1.
The Raiders would tie the game at 3-3 in the fifth as Anna Horning (Cuyahoga Falls/Woodridge) had her third hit of the game a two-RBI double.
Northern would come right back in the bottom of the frame as the first four runners all reached base and two runs came home, one on a Jackie Mangola double and another on a Katie Cretin sacrifice fly.
Tina Mangola finished the scoring for Northern with a two-RBI double in the sixth.
Pitcher Courtney Cash allowed nine hits as she went the distance to go to 24-1 on the season.
Mount Union advanced to the title game with a 6-0 shutout of John Carroll earlier on Sunday.
Horning had four hits and a 3-run home run by Jill Rader (Ashland/Ashland) to lead the Raiders.
The second-seeded Blue Streaks (28-11) finished in third place.
Mount Union got on the board first with an unearned run in the top of the fourth frame.
Meghan Allen started the rally with a 1-out with a single and went to third on a double by Jill Rader. Allen scored on an errant relay throw from JCU shortstop Samantha Thompson.
Mount Union picked up another unearned run in the top of the fifth when Alex Lucak reached on a throwing error by Thompson and scored on a triple by Anna Horning to make it 2-0.
Horning led off the top of the seventh with a double and scored on a 1-out double by Meghan Simons.
An infield single by Allen put runners at the corner and a 3-run home run by Ashley Rader busted the game wide open, giving Mount Union a 6-0 advantage.
Horning finished the day 4 for 4 with a double, triple and two stolen bases to lead the Purple Raiders' attack.
Bre Willis threw a six-hit shutout, retiring the final 12 batters she faced, to improve to 11-8 on the season.
Horning, Rader and Meghan Allen (Hartville/Lake) were Mount Union's representatives on the All-Tournament team.
