Softball takes Game 2 and forces a winner-take-all Game 3 on Sunday

The two-seed Muskingum softball team split a pair of games in the Ohio Athletic Conference Softball Tournament Championship series with four-seed Ohio Northern on Saturday afternoon to force a decisive game three set for Sunday, May 16 at Donna J. Newberry Field. The Polar Bears won the opener 7-0, while the Muskies took Game 2, 6-3.

Notables:

• Muskingum and Ohio Northern are tied 1-1 in the best of three series for the OAC Softball Tournament Championship and will play the finale on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Donna J. Newberry Field. The winner of the single game on Sunday will be crowned OAC Tournament Champions and receive an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (29-13), Ohio Northern (23-18-1)
• Location: Donna J. Newberry Field – New Concord, Ohio
• Attendance: 200

Inside the Numbers – Game 2

• Senior Hannah Duff collected her 13th win of the season, tossing a complete game and allowing three runs off five hits.
• Junior Katie Osburn led the Muskies with three RBIs, two hits, and one double.
• Senior Riley Powers had two hits, including a solo home run to aid the Muskie effort.
• Senior Bailey Waitkus added one hit and collected two RBIs.
• Allie Bican took the loss for the Polar Bears in the circle after allowing five runs off two hits.
• Rachel Hish guided the Polar Bear offense with two hits and one RBI.

The Difference – Game 2

• The Muskies jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning off an Osburn bases-clearing double. Muskingum tacked on two more runs in the first off a Waitkus two-RBI single up the middle, extending its lead to 5-0.
• Ohio Northern loaded the bases in the bottom of the first with no outs but only plated two runs.
• Muskingum scored their final run in the third off a solo home run from Powers to extend the Muskie lead to 6-2.
• Ohio Northern scored their last run of the game in the bottom the seventh off a Hish RBI single, making the final 6-3.
• The Muskies finished with six runs off eight hits.

Inside the Numbers – Game 1

• Junior Hannah Smith took the loss in the circle after allowing seven runs off 11 hits in seven innings of work.
• Junior Katie Osburn led the Muskie offense with two hits.
• Senior Karsyn Shaffer, junior Rachel Hankin, and junior Cristianna Boggs each chipped in one hit for the Muskies.
• Lauren Renner paced the Polar Bear offense with one hit and three RBIs.
• Stacey Walters collected the win in the circle after only allowing five hits.

The Difference – Game 1

• The Polar Bears capitalized on a Muskie fielding error to score five unearned runs off five hits in the top of the third inning to take a 5-0 lead.
• The last two Polar Bear runs came in the top of the seventh off a Renner two-run double to center field.
• Ohio Northern finished the game with seven runs off 11 hits.
• The Muskies stranded nine runners on base in the contest.

Up Next

• The Muskies host game 3 of the OAC Tournament Championship Series on Sunday, May 16. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. at Donna J. Newberry Field, and you follow all the live action at fightingmuskies.com and through the OAC TV app.