NEW CONCORD, Ohio – The No. 22 nationally ranked Mount Union softball team split an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader against Muskingum on Friday afternoon, winning game one 8-4 and falling in game two 5-0.
The Fighting Muskies (27-9, 14-4 OAC) struck first in game one scoring a runoff a Sadie Smith RBI double in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Muskingum would add to their lead in the second inning, scoring three runs off RBIs from Kalie Eshelman and Smith to stretch their lead to four runs.
The Purple Raiders (32-5, 15-1 OAC) would cut into the lead in the third inning when sophomore
Sydney Mercer (Salem / West Branch) hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored sophomore
Kaitlyn Culver (Girard). Then, in the top half of the fifth Mount Union would take their first lead of the game with a massive seven run inning with RBIs coming from Mercer, junior
Adri George (Eastlake / North), sophomore
Kendyll Cahill (Grove Port / Grove Port Madison) and junior
Tori Sickafoose (Magnolia / Sandy Valley) to take an 8-4 lead.
The Muskies wouldn't be able to plate anymore runs as the Raiders would go on to win game one 8-4.
Sophomore
Chloe Bird (Norton) got the start in the circle for Mount Union and gave up four runs, one earned on seven hits and struck out one in the complete game victory.
Muskingum struck first again in game two, scoring a run in the first inning off an RBI from Bethany Rodman to take a 1-0 lead. The Muskies would add to their lead in the bottom half of the fourth, scoring three runs off RBIs from Smith and Rodman to take a 4-0 lead. Then, in the sixth inning Eshelman hit a solo homerun to right field to stretch the lead to five runs.
The Raiders wouldn't be able to answer in the seventh inning as Muskingum would go on to take game two 5-0.
Sophomore
Brooklyn Schlabach (Apple Creek / Waynedale) got the start in the circle in game two for Mount Union and gave up four runs on five hits in 3.2 innings of work. Bird would come in to throw 0.1 innings in relief and gave up zero runs on one hit. Freshman
Emma Reese (Alliance) would come in to pitch the final two
innings in relief and gave up one run on two hits.
The Raiders are on the road again next when they head to Cleveland on Sunday, May 5 for a top 25 matchup with No. 10 Case Western Reserve at 1 p.m.