The Ashland University softball team is in second place (7-1) in the GLIAC South behind Tiffin (9-1) after the sweep of Findlay. Ashland defeated the Oilers 4-3 in dramatic fashion in game one and 11-5 in game two.

Game One

   One run in the sixth and two more in the seventh brought the Eagles back from a 3-1 deficit and stretched the winning streak to four with a 4-3 win over the Findlay Oilers Sunday afternoon.   

   Ashland University struck first in the home half of the third when Logan Hursey singled through the right side, scoring Erica Miller. Miller led the inning off with a sharp single up the middle. 

   The Oilers responded with three runs in the fifth inning after a pair of doubles and a rare defensive miscue by the Eagles. 

   Ashland cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth after Tawna Garver drove a double into right field. 

   Lyndsey Brandt led off the come-from-behind seventh inning with an infield single. Third baseman Alyssa Kelley was asked to bunt, but Oilers freshman pitcher Jackie Messersmith let one loose off the backstop to advance Brandt to second. With Brandt in scoring position, Kelley was given the green light to swing away, and bounced a sharp RBI single off the second base bag. 

   With the score knotted up at three, Hursey came up with her second hit of the day to put runners on first and second with no one out. Freshman second baseman Cayla Seidler moved the winning run to third with a sacrifice bunt to set up first baseman Franki Gironda’s game-winning single. Gironda finished 2-for-3 in the contest for her third multi-hit game of the season. 

   Emlyn Knerem (11-3) threw her 12th complete game of the season, surrendering three runs (all unearned) on five hits, and three walks. The junior finished with nine strikeouts. 

   Messersmith (2-1) was able to avoid the big inning through the first six, but was tagged with the loss in the Eagles third seventh-inning win this season. 

Game Two

   Although the final score may not reflect it, freshman Carly Clark turned in her third consecutive impressive performance in critical situations out of the bullpen to lead the Eagles past Findlay 11-5.

   Miller led off the game with a double off the centerfield wall to kick start the double-digit run production for the Eagles. She later scored on a Kelley RBI groundout. 

   For the second straight game, the Oilers answered an early Eagle run with three unanswered to take the lead after three. 

   AU shortstop Bri Woody tied the game up in the top of the fourth with a two-run blast over the left centerfield fence. Woody’s homerun was the start of a 10-0 scoring run that the Eagles accumulated over the final four innings.

   Kelley extended her hitting streak to 13 with her sixth-inning leadoff single. The junior third baseman finished 2-for-3, scoring twice. 

   Hursey left the yard twice for the third time in her career. 

   Freshman Carly West, who started in place of injured outfielder Alex Machen, went 2-for-4 in the contest with two RBI.  

   Clark (3-0) gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in her longest outing (4.2 innings) of the season. 

   For the Oilers (14-9-1, 2-6 GLIAC), Brittany Dauterman (2-2) got the loss, giving up six runs in her two innings of work.

   The doubleheader against Lake Erie was not available at press time.

   The Eagles and Oilers will meet again Thursday at 3:30 p.m. before traveling to Columbus this weekend to take on Ohio Dominican in a pair of doubleheaders April 9 and 10.