Debolt, Eberling, and Meade blasts home runs in DH split at Mount Union

Senior Haylea Debolt, junior Rachel Eberling, and freshman Jaelyn Meade each pounded a home run in game two at Ohio Athletic Conference foe Mount Union to lead Muskingum to a doubleheader split on Friday evening. The Purple Raiders won the opener 7-5, while the Muskies claimed the nightcap, 13-11.

The Basics 

• Records: Muskingum (17-5 overall, 3-3 Ohio Athletic Conference), Mount Union (9-13 overall, 2-4 Ohio Athletic Conference)
• Location: Alliance, Ohio – 23rd Street Field 

Inside the Numbers - Game One:

• Muskingum scored five runs on six hits.
• Eberling led Muskingum by going 2-for-3 at the plate, which included a double, two RBIs and a run scored.
• Senior Melissa Maiorano, sophomore Jennifer Schrader, and senior Abigail Orr each collected an RBI.
• Eberling was dealt the loss after going three innings and allowing five runs on five hits.

Inside the Numbers - Game Two:

• Muskingum scored 13 runs on 17 hits.
• Meade paced the Muskies as she went 2-for-3 at the plate, which included a homer and a double, two runs scored, and two RBIs.
• Junior Krissy Hughes went 3-for-5 at the dish with an RBI and two runs scored.
• Freshman Karsyn Shaffer went 2-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored.
• Sophomore Jolyn Shunk went 2-for-3 at the dish with one RBI and a run scored.
• Maiorano went 3-for-5 at the plate.
• Debolt and Eberling each blasted a home run. Debolt finished with a team-high five RBIs, while Eberling tallied two RBIs.
• Freshman Riley Powers went 2-for-2 at the dish with a run scored.
• Freshman Hannah Duff recorded her ninth win in the circle and tallied two strikeouts.
• Freshman pitcher Gabrielle McNeil threw for the final 1.2 innings to notch her first save of the season.

Game Highlights

Mount Union jumped ahead early as they scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning to start game one. The Muskies gained the lead in the top of the second inning, 3-2, after getting RBIs from Maiorano, Schrader, and Orr. The Purple Raiders accrued two runs in the bottom of the second inning, and one run in the third, fourth, and sixth inning to lead 7-3. With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Eberling singled up the middle to bring Hughes and Shaffer across the plate for two runs. However, Muskingum could not produce a comeback, allowing the hosts to take game one.   

Muskingum took a quick lead over the Purple Raiders with a monster second and fourth inning. In the top of the second inning, Jolyn Shunk, Alexia Dowdle, and Hughes notched RBI singles, while Debolt reached on a fielder's choice allowing Sarah Aispuro to score. A sacrifice fly by Eberling and a two-run homer by Meade in the top of the fourth gave Muskingum a 7-0 advantage. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Mount Union plated four runs to get on the scoreboard. The Muskies kept the scoring spree going in the top of the fifth as Debolt blasted a three-run home run, while Eberling smashed a solo home run to extend the Muskies' lead to 11-4. In the bottom of the fifth, the Purple Raiders hit a solo home run of their own. Muskingum scored two more runs in the top of the sixth to push the advantage to 13-5. Mount Union registered five runs in the bottom of the sixth and one in the seventh to complete the scoring.

Up Next

• Muskingum will play against John Carroll on Saturday, April 7 at Donna J. Newberry Field. Game one is slated to start at 1:00 p.m.