Senior Lauren Renner’s walk-off hit highlights Softball’s doubleheader sweep of Marietta

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — Senior Lauren Renner (Columbus/Hilliard Bradley) hit a walk-off single to give the Ohio Northern softball team a 7-6 victory to complete a doubleheader sweep of Marietta on Wednesday at the ONU Softball Field.

The Polar Bears defeated the Pioneers 7-3 in the first game of the doubleheader.

ONU improves to 6-6 overall and 2-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference while Marietta falls to 6-10, 0-2.

The Polar Bears trailed 6-1 in the fourth inning of Game 2 but were able to rally.

In the bottom of the fifth, junior Annika Murray (Hilliard/Bradley) and freshman Mariana Alejandro (Gibsonburg) hit back-to-back one-out singles, and senior Abby Elliott (Loveland/Ursuline) brought them both home with a double.

ONU plated two more runs later in the frame courtesy of a Marietta throwing error, cutting the deficit to 6-5.

Down to their final three outs, the Polar Bears continued their rally in the bottom of the seventh inning following a one-out single from senior Rachel Hish (Gainesville, Va./Patriot).

Hish stole second base and advanced to third on a single from sophomore Kaylie Griffin (Grafton/Elyria Catholic).

Griffin advanced to second on Marietta's throw to try to get Hish out at third, putting both runners in scoring position.

With two outs, Renner came up with the big hit, singling to center field to bring home the winning runs.

Junior Allie Bican (Solon) earned the win in the pitching circle after allowing just one run on three hits and one walk while striking out six in 4.1 innings in relief of senior starter Stacey Walters (Sunbury/Big Walnut).

Freshman Ashley Lenser (Brookville) led the way in ONU's Game 1 victory, as she pitched all seven innings and tallied a team-high two RBIs.

Lenser improved her record to 2-2 on the season after allowing just two earned runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Her two-run single in the bottom of the first inning put ONU up 3-0 after an RBI hit from Hish.

An RBI single from junior Sydney Motylinski (Ida, Mich.) gave the Polar Bears a 4-0 lead in the frame.

The Pioneers plated a run in the third inning, but Northern responded with a three-run fifth frame highlighted by an RBI double from Griffin to take a 7-1 lead.

Marietta capped the scoring with a two-run homer from Emma Burke in the seventh.

The Polar Bears return to action on Saturday for a doubleheader at OAC foe Mount Union beginning at 1 p.m.