Championship season is upon us in the sport of softball for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. And the Ashland University Eagles closed out their regular season at home against the Hillsdale Chargers on April 25-26.  

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Eagles got on the score sheet early with an RBI single from redshirt senior pitcher, Cassidy Shaffer. 

With this early 1-0 lead for Ashland, the game would see only one more run being scored. Which would come off the bat with an RBI single from junior shortstop Sophia Martin in the bottom of the fourth inning.  

In this 2-0 victory for the Eagles, the Chargers could not get anything going at the plate. The Hillsdale batters gave up eight flyouts and 11 groundouts, all thanks to winning pitcher, senior Delaney Lis.  

The second part of the doubleheader, the Eagles got five of their runs in the bottom of the first inning. With the majority of them coming off of fielding errors from the Chargers.  

It started with a Schaffer RBI double, then the errors started to roll in. Throwing errors by junior shortstop Sydney Davis and sophomore catcher Nathalie Hagle, which led to four runs. These runs being scored by junior outfielder Kate Kujawski, Shaffer, freshman catcher Raelyn Koesters and Martin.  

However, the Chargers would find a way to climb back to tie up the game. In the top of the fifth inning, a two-run RBI double from senior infielder Anna Chellman to put the game at five apiece.  

But the Eagles answered quickly. In the bottom of the fifth inning, senior outfielder Ashley Veldheer stepped up to the plate and hit a two-run RBI double to give Ashland a 7-5 lead.  

Hillsdale would add a run onto the board, but it would not be enough. The Eagles would end their regular season with a 7-6 victory.  

Ashland now focuses on the G-MAC tournament, in which they play on Wed Apr 29 at 6:00 p.m., against the Northwood Timberwolves. In the regular season, the Eagles went winless against Northwood with a 5-7 and 1-3 loss.