ADA, Ohio – Ohio Northern University's offense put up 20 runs in 14 innings to sweep the Wilmington College softball team 7-0 and 13-6 in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon.
In game won, Polar Bear starter Kaitlin Surdej retired all nine Fightin' Quakers the first time through the order. By the time Wilmington got its first baserunner, on an error in the top of the fourth, the hosts were up 5-0 thanks in large part to a five-hit, four-run third inning. Wilmington would get multiple runners on base in the fourth and fifth innings, but couldn't solve Surdej who earned a complete-game shutout win.
Grace Shell took the loss, just her second of the season, allowing six earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched. Hayley Suchland finished the game in relief allowing one run on two hits in 1.2 innings.
Offensively, Wilmington had four singles from four different individuals – Alecia Kemp, Suchland, KenDahl Bowles and Kaylee Barber. Gabby Stewart went 4-for-4 with two RBIs for the Polar Bears while Hailee Loughman finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
In game two, Ohio Northern (ONU) jumped on Wilmington starter Alexis Stringfellow with a five-hit, three-run first inning. The Polar Bears would also get to reliever Sydney Harville, who entered the game after lead-off double in the second inning, for two runs in the second to build a 5-0 lead.
Wilmington answered with two runs in the top of the third as Jillia Cook was hit by a pitch and Barber walked with the bases loaded, but the hosts induced a groundout to end the threat and plated four more runs in the bottom half to take control.
Trailing 9-2, the Quakers' offense didn't surrender as Ali Dixon and Megan Crager led off the fourth with consecutive solo home runs. After an out, Kemp was hit by a pitch which was followed by an Allison Pierce double that put two runners in scoring position. A Cook groundout and a Kennedy Clifton RBI-single drove them in to get Wilmington within three runs (9-6).
Harville got into a groove in the fourth and fifth innings as she held ONU scoreless. Wilmington's office couldn't provide any more runs, however, as ONU eventually struck for four runs in the bottom of the season to seal the sweep.
Stringfellow dipped to 5-2 on the year with the loss allowing four earned runs in over an inning pitched. Harville allowed nine runs, though only four earned due to five Quaker errors, in 4.2 innings while Hunter Salyers came in to record the final out.
Stacey Walters earned the win for ONU in relief as started Maddie Anderson was chased after three complete innings.
Offensively, seven different Quakers finished with a hit including a 2-for-3 performance with two walks and two runs scored from Crager. Abby Elliot led ONU with a 4-for-4 game two.
Wilmington (14-6, 2-4 OAC) heads to Baldwin Wallace University for a two-game series scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
