Motylinski's home run sparks Softball to double header sweep at Muskingum

NEW CONCORD — The Ohio Northern softball team improved to 3-1 in OAC play after a 3-2, 6-1 sweep at Muskingum on a sunndy Tuesday afternoon.

The Basics

• ONU won the opener 3-2 in 8 innings and took the nightcap 6-1.
• Records: Ohio Northern (12-8 overall, 3-1 OAC), Muskingum (15-7 overall, 2-2 OAC).
• Venue: Newberry Field - New Concord, Ohio.

Game 1 - W, 3-2 (8 innings)

• Fifth-year senior Sydney Motylinski (Ida, Mich.) led off the top of the eighth inning with a solo home run to give the Polar Bears a 3-2 lead.
• Junior Ashley Lenser (Brookville) threw a complete-game 6-hitter, striking out 7, to improve to 5-1 on the season.
• Sophomore Allie Wilson (Wapakoneta) singled home junior Callie Rosser (Republic/Monroeville) in the top of the first to give ONU a quick 1-0 lead.
• MU answered with runs in the fourth and fifth innings to grab a 2-1 lead.
• Wilson tied the game in the top of the sixth when she scored on a Muskie error.
• ONU out-hut MU 8-6.

Game 2 - W, 6-1

• Northern scored twice in the third, three times in the fifth and once more in the sixth to grab a 6-0 lead.
• The Muskies got three consecutive two-out hits in the bottom of the sixth to score, but senior Kayla Runyon (Tipp City) came on in relief to get a strikeout and end the threat.
• Freshman Taylor Keck (Wadsworth) improved to 3-0 in the circle, scattering 7 hits and allowing only one run in 5.2 innings.
• Motylinski went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI to lead ONU in the nightcap.
• Ohio Northern out-hit Muskingum 12-8 in the contest.

Notables

• Motylinski now has 22 home runs in her career at Ohio Northern, which moves her into fourth place in school history.
• She also has 128 career base hits and 86 career RBI.
• Senior Kaylie Griffin (Grafton/Elyria Catholic) had three hits on Tuesday and now has 97 for her career. She needs just three more to become the 46th member of ONU's 100-Hit Club.
• Rosser, Wilson and Motylinski lead Ohio Northern in batting through 20 games this season with averages of .413, .412 and .404, respectively.
• Lenser is also 5-1 with 35 strikeouts and a 2.27 ERA in 37 innings in the circle.
• MU is now 77-57 all-time against ONU.
• Ohio Northern is in its 57th season of softball. The Polar Bears are 984-668-4 all-time, a winning percentage of .594.
• Seventh-year head coach Jackie Price is now 166-100-1 at Ohio Northern for a winning percentage of .622.

Up Next

• The Polar Bears will return to action on Wednesday with a 12 pm doubleheader against Wilmington at Durbin-Hileman Stadium.