Softball opens OAC slate with doubleheader split at Heidelberg

By Tim Glon

TIFFIN -- The Ohio Northern softball team opened the Ohio Athletic Conference portion of its schedule with a doubleheader split at Heidelberg Saturday afternoon at Huffman Field.

The Polar Bears (8-8 overall, 1-1 OAC) won the opener 5-1, while the Student Princes (9-3, 1-1) won the nightcap 18-6.

In Game 1, ONU took a quick 2-0 lead on a two-out, 2-run home run by junior Kelly Sheridan in the top of the first frame.

Northern then used the long ball to score three times in the top of the third to go up 5-1.

Junior Adriana Sikora drilled a 2-run home run to make it 4-1, and sophomore Anne Dreher smashed a solo home run one out later to make it a 5-1 game.

Freshman Paige Ordean (8-4) threw a complete-game 6-hitter, allowing only a first inning run, to earn the win for ONU.

In Game 2, Heidelberg scored seven runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back as the game was called in the fifth inning due to the NCAA's 8-run rule.

Sheridan was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and senior Bree Hiteshew was 2-for-2 with 3 RBI to lead the ONU offense.

The Polar Bears are slated to return to action Tuesday with a non-conference double header at Adrian (Mich.)