(ALLIANCE, OH)--Mount Union scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull out an 8-4 win against No. 4 ranked Ohio Northern in first game of an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday at 23rd Street Field in Alliance. The Polar Bears held off another Mount Union rally in the nightcap to win 2-1.
Ohio Northern finishes at 35-3 overall and 17-1 in the OAC and the regular season champion Polar Bears will host No. 4 seed Muskingum in next week's four-team OAC Tournament next Friday and Saturday (May 7-8) in Ada.
Mount Union stands at 25-13 and at 12-4 in the OAC are in second place and will play No. 3 seed John Carroll next Friday at 11 am in Ada in the OAC Tournament.
A bases clearing triple by junior Alex Lucak (Maple Heights/Trinity) blew open a 4-4 game in the sixth inning of game one. Lucak would score in the next at-bat on an RBI single from senior Meghan Simons (Minerva/Minerva) to make the score 8-4.
Mount Union had control of the game early as they tallied three runs in the first inning on an RBI single from Simons and two-RBI triple from senior Anna Horning (Cuyahoga Falls/Woodridge).
Ohio Northern got back in the game with a run in the second then three in third on a towering home run by Tina Mangola that put the Bears up 4-3.
The Raiders then tied the game in the fourth inning as senior Meghan Allen (Hartville/Lake) had what turned out to be a key two-out RBI single.
Allen finished the game going 4-for-4 at the plate, Simons had three hits while sophomore pitcher Bre Willis (Navarre/Fairless) struck out seven and picked up the complete game victory for win No. 10 on the season.
In game two, Ohio Northern scored an unearned run in the first inning and a lead-off hit batter in the third later scored to give the Polar Bears a 2-0 lead.
The Mount Union offense was stuck in neutral until the bottom of the seventh inning when Lucak would lead off the inning with a double and score later in the frame when Horning drove her in and put the tying run on second base.
Lauren Hurd then got the next two hitters out to finish off a complete-game five hitter and preserve the win for Ohio Northern.
The games were the final regular season home games for Mount Union seniors Allen, Stephanie Cain (Akron/Springfield Local), Horning and Simons.
