When Ashland University’s softball schedule was released last fall, the team was set to face Findlay in four consecutive games, but after a week full of rain, the Eagles and Oilers had to wait four additional days to finish up the series on April 7. AU swept the doubleheader 2-1 and 6-3. Two days later the Eagles began a four game series at Ohio Dominican, and swept the Panthers both days.

Findlay

   For the third consecutive game the Eagles found themselves playing from behind after a one-out double, a fly out, and a wild pitch plated an Oilers run in the top of the first. 

   For the Eagles this season, the lineup has received support from all nine spots in the order. The bottom half of the order strung a couple of hits together to even up the score in the fourth. Freshman Cayla Seidler started the inning off with an infield single. After a sacrifice bunt off the bat of left fielder Erica Miller moved Seidler to second, first baseman Franki Gironda scorched a single to center field to score the Eagles’ first run. 

   The Eagles had plenty of chances to plate a second run to win the game, but none were successful, until they ended the game in walk-off fashion in the seventh. Catcher Tawna Garver led off the frame with a single up the middle. Garver was relieved on the base paths by junior Jenni Goodrich. After Goodrich advanced to second on a wild pitch, freshman Carly West got aboard after the Oilers tried to throw Goodrich out at third on a sacrifice bunt. Senior Lyndsey Brandt was given a free pass to load up the bases, and set the stage for another walk-off opportunity for the Eagles. Shortstop Bri Woody answered the call with a base hit into the right field grass.  

   The walk-off win was the third of the season for Ashland. 

   AU was just 2-11 with runners in scoring position in the contest. The Eagles hit at a .339 clip for the season in that category. 

   Emlyn Knerem (12-3) gave up five hits and a walk in her complete game effort.

   Findlay used their third different starting pitcher in the four game series. Lauren Orban (2-2) pitched a complete game, but was tagged with the loss giving up two runs on nine hits. 

Game 2

   The Eagles finished their fifth doubleheader sweep of the season outlasting the Oilers (14-11-1,2-8 GLIAC) by a score of 6-3. 

   Before game one of the Thursday evening doubleheader, Head Coach Sheilah Gulas shuffled her line-up around. After hitting lead-off for the first 567 at-bats of her career, Miller was moved down to the sixth spot in the order.  However, in her new spot in the lineup, Miller hit the first homerun of her collegiate career in the top of the fourth, extending the AU lead to 3-0. The homerun came on the 569th at-bat of her career. 

   Gulas used the full depth of her pitching staff in the contest. Logan Hursey got her usual game two starting assignment, but pitched just 3.1 innings before Gulas pulled the senior after a one out double. 

   Freshman right-hander Carly Clark made her eighth appearance of the season, and shutdown the Oilers threat using just three pitches to get the final two outs of the inning. 

   Clark got in a bind of her own in the sixth after a leadoff walk and a one out error put runners on first and second with one out. Knerem’s first pitch out of the bullpen found its way over the fence, as Brittany Dauterman hit her first homerun of the season to dead center, and cut the Eagles lead down to one.   

   AU struck right back, and all but ended the comeback hopes for the Oilers, plating two runs in the top of the seventh to stretch the lead to 6-3. The two runs came off a Woody line drive that tipped off the glove of diving shortstop Kara Hochevar. 

   After throwing a complete game in game one, Emlyn Knerem was credited with the save after her 1.2 innings of work closed the book on the four game series. The save was Knerem’s first of the season, and padded her AU career leading figure to seven.   

   After Thursday’s sweep, the Eagles were 14-2 when scoring first. 

Ohio Dominican

   Last weekend marked one of golf’s most prestigious annual tournaments, The Masters. The goal for the weekend in August is to stay out of the trees. In Columbus, the Eagles attempted to do exactly the opposite, finding the trees for six home runs on their way to a weekend sweep over ODU. 

Game 1

   AU overcame an early, defensive miscue with a three-run third inning to take the first game of their 12 game road trip 4-1. 

   Brandt used her speed to turn a sure double into a triple to get the trouble brewing in the third frame.  Woody, who this week returned to the two spot in the order for the first time since Mar. 19, took a 2-1 pitch into right field to score the AU centerfielder. A batter later, Hursey hit her first of two homers in the series to give the Eagles a 3-1 lead. 

   Seidler would add an insurance run for the Eagles on a fielder’s choice groundout in the top of the fourth. 

   Knerem gave up the one unearned run in the first, but would pitch six scoreless innings the rest of the way in her 13th victory of the season. The junior finished with eight strikeouts, a walk, and three hits. Kelley and Woody had two hits apiece, with Woody adding two runs as well. 

   Shana Etter (2-12) was tagged with the loss, despite tossing a complete game. 

Game 2

   Hursey turned in one of her best performances of the season in game two of the doubleheader, earning her second win in a 4-0 victory. 

   The AU lefty threw six innings allowing one hit, and four free passes, while striking out eight. 

   However, for the first four innings, ODU’s Caitlin Chaney wasn’t going to let Hursey (2-6) cruise to victory, blanking the Eagles in each of the first four innings. 

   Gironda hit the first home run of her career to get the Eagles offense started in the bottom of the fifth inning. Then the flood gates opened. After Gironda’s homer led off the inning, Garver reached on an error to start the Eagles’ offense from scratch. Two batters later, Brandt advanced on a fielder’s choice that wasn’t in time to put out Machen, and the Eagles had runners on first and second with one out. Woody capped off the AU outburst with her third home run of the year. 

   Knerem made her fourth appearance in three days, walking one, and striking out one in her inning of work. 

Game 3

   After putting up four runs in each of the two games Saturday, the AU offense came out firing on all cylinders of Sunday’s (Apr. 10) doubleheader, as the Eagles thumped the Panther’s by a count of 14-0. 

   In a game where the scoreboard suggested that AU didn’t need a great pitching performance to win, Knerem tossed her third perfect game of the season, and the fourth of her career. She tallied seven strikeouts en route to her 14th victory of the season. The junior’s first two perfect games of the season both came Mar. 11, as she threw back to back gems against Edinboro and Wheeling Jesuit. 

   Seidler got the scoring started for the Eagles, plating the Eagles two first inning runs on a double into the left centerfield gap. 

   AU went on to add seven runs to their tally in the top of the second. Seidler highlighted that inning as well, plating two more runs on a homer to left center. The round tripper was the freshman’s second of the season.

   For the second consecutive day, Hursey touched them all with a grand slam to centerfield. She also tied a season high with five RBI in her 2-for-3 game one output. 

   Brandt plated three of the Eagles’ runs, and finished 2-for-2 for her ninth multi-hit game of the campaign. 

   Woody was one of four Eagles to finish with multiple RBI in addition to scoring three runs herself.

   The Panthers only got the ball out of the infield twice. Both balls were hauled in by Brandt in center. 

Game 4

   Most of the 2010 season, AU prided themselves on pairing quality outings in the circle with nearly flawless defense, giving up just 1.8 runs a game. While the club’s defense has continued to perform (ranked second in the nation entering last week), this weekend’s series showed the one-two punch in the circle in stellar fashion for the first time this season. Although she didn’t earn a decision, Hursey tossed five innings of one-run, two-hit softball in the Eagles’ 2-1 game two victory.

   She was lifted from the game in the top of the sixth after giving up a leadoff single to Jennifer Baker in a 1-0 game. As was the call for Gulas Thursday, the Eagles’ skipper went to Clark to get out of the inning. The freshman allowed the inherited runner to score, after the Panthers played small ball to cap off the inning with a sacrifice fly by sophomore Brooke McCartney.

   With the score still knotted up at one, Clark gave up a leadoff triple to third baseman Samantha Wolfe, and Gulas found herself going to the bullpen again. Knerem (15-3), fresh off her perfecto in game one, got out of the jam unscathed, striking out all three batters she faced. 

   On the offensive side for the Eagles, Woody did it again, coming up with her second walk-off hit of the week. The junior shortstop, singled through the left side to score Garver, who kicked off the inning with a single down the left field line. Earlier in the contest, Garver homered to straight away center to put the Eagles on the board in the bottom of the third. 

   Maria Staton (2-7) was tagged with the loss, holding the Eagles explosive game one offense to just two runs in the nightcap. 

   Baker had the only multi-hit game of the series for the Panthers, finishing 2-for-3 in the second game. ODU entered the weekend series with the Eagles averaging 4.6 runs per game, but the AU staff held the Panthers to just two runs over the four game set. 

   For the second time this year, AU will play six conference games in three days next weekend, making their only regular season trip to the state of Michigan. The Eagles will enter the weekend with three players carrying double-digit hitting streaks. Kelley will enter the six game trip with a 19 game streak, Hursey with 14, and Woody with 12. After starting the weekend at Northwood tomorrow (Apr. 15) the Eagles will travel to Saginaw Valley Saturday, before finishing the Michigan swing at Lake Superior State on Sunday.