ALLIANCE, Ohio— Mount Union's softball team split an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader against Ohio Northern on Saturday afternoon, winning game one 2-1 and falling in game two 6-5.
It was senior night at Mount Union, and in between games one and two, seniors Adri George (Eastlake / North) and Tori Sickafoose (Magnolia / Sandy Valley) were honored.
The Polar Bears (17-19, 11-5 OAC) would strike first in game one when Allie Wilson hit an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
The Purple Raiders (21-11, 10-4 OAC) would answer with a run of their own in the bottom half of the same inning when George hit a sacrifice RBI that scored junior Sydney Mercer (Salem / West Branch) to tie the game at a run apiece.
Mount Union would then break the tie in the fifth inning when Mercer hit an RBI single that brought home sophomore Kyndall Hahn (Garrettsville / James Garfield) to take a 2-1 lead, and after Ohio Northern wasn't able to answer over the final two innings of the game, they would go on to take game one 2-1.
Junior Kendyll Cahill (Groveport / Groveport Madison) would get the start in the circle for Mount Union and threw a complete game, giving up just one run on four hits and striking out four.
The Polar Bears would once again strike first in game two, scoring a run in the top half of the first off an RBI single from Taylor Hilty. The Raiders would once again answer in the bottom half of the same inning when George hit an RBI double that scored junior Faith Reicosky (North Canton / Hoover) to tie the game at a run apiece.
Ohio Northern would reclaim the lead in the following inning when Wilson hit an RBI single and then Jaylee Fansler stole home to make their lead 3-1. Mount Union would get one back in the bottom of the second inning when Mercer hit an RBI single to bring in Hahn and cut the lead to just a run.
The Polar Bears would add to their lead in the top of the third inning when Kylie King hit an RBI single and then again in the fourth inning, this time off a two-RBI single from Hilty to extend the lead to 6-2.
The Raiders would rally in the sixth inning, scoring three runs. The first came off an RBI from Hahn that brought in junior Lydia Brunner (Minerva), then freshman Allison Jones (Berlin Center / Western Reserve) had a sacrifice RBI that scored junior Kaitlyn Culver (Girard) and the final run came off an RBI single from Mercer that brought in Hahn to cut the lead down to just a run.
That's as close as they would be able to get, though, as Ohio Northern would go on to take game two 6-5.
Junior Chloe Bird (Norton) got the start in the circle in game two for Mount Union and gave up five runs, three earned, on six hits, and struck out one. Sophomore Haleigh McCalla (Youngstown / Springfield Local) would come in to throw an inning in relief and gave up one run, zero earned, on one hit. Freshman Daniella Vecchio (Monongahela, Pa. / Ringgold) would come in to pitch the final three innings and gave up zero runs on three hits and struck out one.
The Raiders are in action again tomorrow as they host OAC foe Marietta in a doubleheader, with game one beginning at 1 p.m. and game two following at 3 p.m. in Alliance.
