Story by Eli Altherr
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College softball team was one strike away from securing an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) series split with the University of Mount Union, but the Purple Raiders forced the game into extra innings and defeating the Fightin' Quakers 8-5 in game two while also winning game one 9-2.
The first game was scoreless until Allie Goldy singled and help bring Brooklyn Hellman and Emily Hume home to give Mount Union a 2-0 advantage in the top of the third. Alecia Kemp scored when KenDahl Bowles singled to cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth. The top of the fifth changed the game completely as the Purple Raiders batted around. Morgan Riley scored on a single from Maggie Dominick, Goldy and Jenna Liles scored, Maddie Pidgeon scored when Montana Martin singled, and Martin scored on a Hume single. This made the score 7-1 in the favor of the Purple Raiders. Anna Saxton hit a homerun with Goldy on base in the top of the sixth. Bowles had a sacrifice fly that helped Allison Pierce score in the bottom of the sixth and make the final score 9-2.
Beth Persicano had three strikeouts and a walk while allowing 13 hits in 4.2 innings for Wilmington. Mariyah Burkhardt had two walks while allowing two hits including a home run in 2.1 innings for the Quakers. Shelby Vansickle picked up the win for Mount Union and pitched the whole game. She had three strikeouts and three walks, while allowing seven hits.
Allison Pierce had two hits while KenDahl Bowles had two RBI's for Wilmington. Allie Goldy and Anna Saxton each had two RBI's for the Purple Raiders. Goldy led the way with three hits for Mount Union.
Jillia Cook singled to knock Kemp home in the bottom of the fourth to start the scoring for the second game. Jordan Kramer scored in the top of the fifth to tie things up at one. Sawyer Hooper scored when Ali Dixon singled and Megan Crager scored on a passed ball to give the Quakers a 3-1 lead at the end of the fifth. The Purple Raiders rallied in the top of the seventh. Brittany Baitt scored on a Morgan Riley single, Goldy singled to help Savannah Miner score, and Liles scored when Dominick singled to give Mount Union a 4-3 lead in the middle of the seventh. Crager scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning after a lead-off triple to tie the score at four and send the game to extra innings.
Mount Union blew things wide open in the top of the ninth. Baitt scored on a Cheyenne Miller single, Hume scored on a Goldy single, Vansickle scored, and Goldy scored after Pidgeon doubled. This would make the score 8-4. Burkhardt singled to bring Allison Pierce home in the bottom of the ninth, but a groundout with the bases loaded ended the threat and gave the visitors the win in game two.
Grace Shell had seven strikeouts and three walks, while allowing 11 hits in 8.1 innings for the Quakers. Hannah Reusser allowed 11 hits and four runs in six innings for the Purple Raiders. Jordan Tull picked up the win for Mount Union. She had four walks while allowing two hits and a run in three innings.
Jillia Cook led the way with three hits for the Quakers offensively. Crager, Dixon, Burkhardt, and Sawyer Hooper all had two hits each for Wilmington. Miller, Goldy, Dominick, and Pidgeon each had two hits for Mount Union. Goldy and Dominick had two RBI's each for the Purple Raiders.
Wilmington falls to 11-15 overall and 4-12 in the OAC. Mount Union improves to 13-19 overall and 6-10 in the OAC.
Wilmington travels to Chillicothe, Ohio to play Ohio-Chillicothe and Cincinnati-Clermont in a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Sunday).
