ALLIANCE, Ohio - - The Mount Union softball team was swept by Ohio Northern in an Ohio Athletic Conference series Saturday afternoon at 23rd Street field in Alliance, Ohio. 

Ohio Northern won the first game 4-3 and the second game 12-6.

With the victories, Ohio Northern improves to 7-9 overall and 6-4 in the conference while Mount Union falls to 16-7 overall and 6-4 in the conference. 

In the first game, Abbey Bensing earned her fourth win of the season as she pitched a complete game and allowed six hits and struck out five. 

The game remained scoreless until the top of the fourth inning when Ashley Sujkowski scored on a sacrifice fly by Kelly Sheridan.  Carly McKenzie on an RBI single by Anne Dreher and the Polar Bears would lead 2-0 after four innings of play. 

The Raiders would cut the Polar Bears lead to one in the bottom of the fifth inning when senior Alex Mayo (Greenville/Ansonia) scored on an RBI single by junior Shelby Carmichael (Dalton/Dalton). 

Ohio Northern added two runs in the top of the sixth inning as they would take a 4-1 advantage into the bottom of the inning. 

Junior Krista Leighty (Wooster/Triway) scored on an RBI single by junior Brittany Papp and the Raiders would trail 4-2 after six innings of play. 

Carmichael doubled to left field for her second RBI of the game which scored senior Marissa Earl (Massillon/Washington) but it was not enough as the Raiders would fall 4-3 in the first game of the double-header. 

In the second game of the day, Alex Manno picked up the victory for the Polar Bears as she pitched 2.2 innings in relief and let up two hits and struck out two to earn her first victory of the season. 

The Raiders would take a 2-0 lead after one inning as Papp doubled home senior Kristen Gromes (Navarre/Fairless) and would later come around to score on a wild pitch.

Colleen Baliga scored on an RBI single by Bree Hiteshew in the top of the second inning to cut the Raiders lead to 2-1. 

Gromes smacked an two- run double to left center field to give the Raiders a 4-1 lead after two innings of play. 

Papp scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by sophomore Leigh Siedlak (Westerville/Westerville South) and the Raiders would lead 5-1 after three innings. 

Baliga scored an unearned run and McKenzie hit a three-run home run as the Polar Bears would tie the game at five as the Polar Bears would plate four runs in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game at five.  

Sophomore Kaylah Nieschwitz (Canton/St. Thomas Aquinas) came on as a pinch runner in the sixth inning and would come around to score as the Raiders would take a 6-5 lead. 

The Polar Bears would take the lead for good as McKenzie hit a two-run home run over the left field fence in the sixth inning and Ohio Northern would add five runs in the top of the seventh inning for the 12-5 victory. 

Mount Union returns to action Monday when it travels to Cleveland, Ohio to face Case Western Resverve in an non-conference series at 3:00 p.m. 

Ohio Northern 4, Mount Union 3 (Apr 13, 2013 at Alliance, Ohio)