Big defensive play helps Softball hang on for 5-4 victory at No. 16 Mount Union in Semifinals of OAC Tournament
By Tim Glon
ALLIANCE — Fourth-seeded Ohio Northern got an outstanding defensive play from a pair of seniors in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat top-seeded and No. 16-ranked Mount Union 5-4 on Thursday in the semifinals of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament at the 23rd Street Field.
With the win, the Polar Bears (22-17-1 overall) advance to the OAC Tournament Finals and will play a best 2-out-of-3 series for the championship at second-seeded Muskingum this weekend.
The Purple Raiders are 32-7 and must wait to see if they receive an at-large bid to the NCAA III Tournament.
Northern took a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh and got two quick outs.
Mount Union got a 2-out double Allie Goldy and followed that with a bloop single to second base by Alyssa Rose.
Rose beat the throw to first from sophomore Annika Murray (Hilliard/Bradley), but ONU's senior first baseman Brady Guest (Convoy/Crestview) alertly threw home and senior Gabby Stewart (Sunbury/Big Walnut) tagged out Goldy trying to score from second to end the game in thrilling fashion.
Northern took a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first when senior Abby Davis (New Palestine, Ind.) led off the game with a walk and eventually scored on a single by junior Lauren Renner (Columbus/Hilliard Bradley).
The Polar Bears made it 3-0 when seniors Alicia Swierz (Deerfield/Southeast) and Stewart scored unearned runs on a two-out MtU error in the top of the fourth.
Mount got a run in the fourth to make ot 3-1 and got a 2-run home run in the bottom of the fifth by Maddie Pidgeon to tie the game at 3-3.
Renner led off the top of the sixth by getting hit by a pitch. Sophomore Sydney Motylinski (Ida, Mich.) then tripled home sophomore pinch-runner Lauren Walls (Grove City) to make it 4-3.
Motylinski then scored on a ground ball RBI by Stewart and it was 5-3 Polar Bears.
The hosts got runners on second and third with none out in the bottom of the sixth, but sophomore Allie Bican (Solon) got out of the jam with just a sacrifice fly to make it 5-4 heading into the seventh.
Bican allowed only one run in 2.2 innings of relief to earn the win and improve to 5-7 on the season.
Junior Stacey Walters (Sunbury/Big Walnut) started the game and allowed just three runs in 4.1 innings or work and left the game with the score tied at 3-3.
Ohio Northern and Muskingum will play a double header on Saturday at 1 pm for the OAC Tournament Championship.
If a Game 3 is necessary, it will be on Sunday at 1 pm at Muskingum.
The series winner will receive the OAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.