Offensive show powers Softball to 9-1, 9-0 victories over OAC-foe Capital

By Caleb Scott

ADA — The Ohio Northern softball team put on an offensive clinic on Monday afternoon as it defeated Capital 9-1, 9-0 in a twinbill at the ONU Softball Field.

Northern stretches its winning streak to six games and improves to 17-3 overall and 3-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, while Capital drops to 6-14, 2-2.

Ohio Northern had 11 hits and six RBI as a team in the first contest and followed that performance up with a 9-hit, 9-RBI performance in game two.

Sophomore Gabby Stewart (Union, Ky./St. Henry) led the way at the plate, churning out five hits, four runs scored and nine RBI in the two contests. The sophomore had seven RBI, including a 3-run home run in the second contest.

Sophomore Brady Guest (Convoy/Crestview) was a combined 5-for-6 at the plate, with two runs and three RBI, including a solo home run in the second contest.

In the first contest, 2-RBI doubles from Stewart and senior Leanna Henry (West Jefferson) in the bottom half of the first inning gave ONU an early 4-0 lead.

After CU scored in the top of the fourth inning, ONU responded with a 5-run fifth inning as Stewart, Guest, Henry and senior Miranda Huddle (Versailles) each recorded hits and helped push ONU's lead to 9-1.

From there, the Polar Bear defense sealed the game one victory.

Junior Kaitlin Surdej (Lancaster/Central) earned the victory, pitching a complete game with two strikeouts and posting her eighth victory of the season.

In the second contest, Northern jumped out to a 3-0 lead in similar fashion after the first inning as a double from Stewart plated senior Jenna Hollar (Lima/Bath) and sophomore Alicia Swierz (Deerfield/Southeast) before Guest plated Stewart with a single to give ONU a 3-0 lead.

With Swierz and Hollar on base in the bottom of the second inning, Stewart drilled a double into center field to push the lead to 5-0.

Guest then added to the lead in the bottom of the third with a solo home run, before a 3-run home run over the center field fence from Stewart in the bottom of the fourth inning proved to be the game-winning hit and pushed the ONU lead to 9-0.

Senior Kirsten Lightel (Tallmadge) won her OAC-best ninth contest of the season and struck out six batters to earn the victory in the pitchers circle.

The Polar Bears return to action Wednesday, Apr. 4 as they travel to Wilmington to take on the Quakers in a double header with the first game beginning at 3 p.m.