Wilson blasts two home runs as Softball splits OAC twin-bill at Otterbein

WESTERVILLE — The Ohio Northern softball team split an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader at Otterbein on Thursday.

Ohio Northern won the opener 6-3 and Otterbein took the night game 6-5.

The Basics

• Records: Ohio Northern (18-10 overall, 7-3 OAC), Otterbein (11-15 overall, 5-5 OAC).
• Venue: Rike Field - Westerville, Ohio.

Game 1 - W, 6-3

• A 3-run second inning gave Ohio Northern a quick 3-0 lead.
• Sophomore Allie Wilson (Wapakoneta) blasted a 2-run home run in the top of the fourth to extend the lead to 5-0.
• Fifth-year senior Sydney Motylinski (Ida, Mich.) then singled home junior Ashley Lenser (Brookeville) in the top of the sixth for an insurance run and a 6-0 lead.
• The Cardinals got an RBI double and a 2-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to climb back within 6-3.
• Lenser finished her 3-hit complete-game victory by not allowing any OU hits in the seventh to extend Northern's win streak to three games.
• Lenser is now 9-1 on the season.
• She was also 4-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in the contest.
• ONU out-hit OU 10-3.

Game 2 - L, 5-6

• Wilson hit her second home run of the day in the top of the first to put the Polar Bears on top quickly 1-0.
• The Cardinals tied the game with a run in the bottom of the first but ONU scored an unearned run in the top of the second to lead 2-1.
• The hosts scored on a sacrifice bunt and a sac fly to grab a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third.
• In the fifth, senior Kaylie Griffin (Grafton/Elyria Catholic) doubled home Wilson and junior Mariana Alejandro (Gibsonburg) to put ONU back on top 4-3.
• Sophomore Kylie King (London/Jonathan Alder) followed with a single to score Griffin and it was 5-3.
• Otterbein threatened with two baserunners in each of the fifth and sixth innings, but each time ONU was able to get out of the jam.
• Northern got the first two outs of the seventh, but Otterbein would get two hits and a fielding error to load the bases, then two more hits to plate three runs and take the nightcap 6-5.
• Wilson was 3-for-4 with 2 runs and an RBI in Game 2.
• OU out-hit ONU 12-8.

Notables

• Wilson finished the day 4-for-8 with 2 home runs, 3 runs and 5 RBI, while Lenser was 4-for-8 with 2 runs and 1 RBI
• Motylinski was 3-for-7 with a home run and 6 RBI on the day.
• Motylinski now has 139 career base hits and 98 career RBIs.
• Wilson, Motylinski and junior Callie Rosser (Republic/Monroeville) lead Ohio Northern in batting through 28 games this season with averages of .413, .405 and .387, respectively.
• Lenser is now 9-1 with 52 strikeouts and a 2.10 ERA in 60 innings in the circle.
• ONU is now 63-23 all-time against OU, including a 36-11 mark in Westerville.
• Ohio Northern is in its 57th season of softball. The Polar Bears are 990-670-4 all-time, a winning percentage of .596.
• Seventh-year head coach Jackie Price is now 172-102-1 at Ohio Northern for a winning percentage of .627.

Up Next

• The Polar Bears will return to action on Saturday at 1 pm with an OAC doubleheader at Capital.