The softball team came into its last week of home games looking to keep pace with Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference leader Grand Valley State. The Eagles (38-12, 22-8 GLIAC) knew they most likely needed to win out to have a shot at a regular season conference crown. After sweeps of Lake Erie and Tiffin, Ashland is now two wins at Wayne State Tuesday from sharing the title with the Lakers (41-11, 24-8).

Lake Erie (W, 11-0; W, 17-0)

Ashland’s bats came alive in Wednesday’s doubleheader against Lake Erie at Brookside Park. The Eagles outscored the Storm 28-0. They scored 17 runs in the second game alone. It was the most runs they had scored in a doubleheader or a single game in over a decade.

Senior Emlyn Knerem won both games to extend her record to 25-2 with a 1.27 ERA. She pitched the whole first game, allowing just one hit, and gave up only three hits in three innings of work in the second game.

Senior catcher Tawna Garver was 3-for-5 combined in both games, extending her hit streak to 11 games. Sophomore second baseman Cayla Seidler and freshman designated player Jerrica Young each went 4-for-7 with three RBI. Junior first baseman Franki Gironda cranked a home run – her fifth of the season – and had three RBI.

Tiffin (W, 4-3; W, 7-0)

After struggling to produce runs for the first six innings against Tiffin Friday, the Eagles scored 10 in the last eight to make it a clean sweep of the Dragons.

Senior shortstop Bri Woody hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, but Ashland found itself down 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh in the first game.

“We still had to play our own game,” senior third baseman Alyssa Kelley said. “It was like a do-or-die situation, but we didn’t press.”

After Seidler walked to lead off the inning and Young became the first out on a popup to third, Kelley stepped up to the plate.

“She was jamming me inside and then, she already made look really stupid on an outside pitch, so I figured she was coming outside and then she did,” Kelley said. “I was just ready for it.”

She hit a line drive that cleared the right field wall and tied the game at 3-3. After being mobbed as she touched home plate by her teammates, she told them about the parental advice she got from behind home plate.

“I heard my dad in the crowd say, ‘Get your hands through!’ and I guess I did,” Kelley said.

It was only the second home run of the season for the GLIAC leader in batting average (.436). She is currently in the midst of a 10-game hit streak.

Gironda followed the homer with a walk and freshman Jamie Weber entered the game as a pinch runner. Garver advanced Weber to second with a two-out base hit.

Sophomore right fielder Kourtney Yardall ripped a single to left field. Though the throw got home before Weber, she was able to sneak around the tag and win the game for the Eagles.

“She (Kourtney) had an outstanding at bat,” Ashland head coach Sheilah Gulas said. “She could have swung at some of those pitches, she was able to lay off a couple of high pitches. What a great at bat.”

With the win, Knerem (26-2) tied her single-season high for wins.

Ashland carried the momentum from the first game into the second. Gironda had a base-hit single in the top of the first inning on a blooper to right field and the Eagles loaded the bases but ended up stranding the runners.

The Eagles scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning and freshman pitcher Amber McDermott got out of a jam in the bottom of the inning. Ashland scored three runs in the final two innings to secure the 7-0 win.