The Ashland University softball team opened its season on Saturday (Feb. 25) by splitting a doubleheader at Bellarmine.
The Eagles won the opening game, 7-3. In the nightcap Bellarmine (6-6) bounced back for a 7-2 triumph.
In the opener, junior first baseman Franki Gironda (Akron, Ohio/Hoban) drove in four runs. Gironda had an RBI single and a three-run homer. Senior third baseman Alyssa Kelley (Mentor, Ohio) was 2-for-4 and scored two runs.
Senior Emlyn Knerem (Brunswick, Ohio) pitched six innings to get the victory. Knerem allowed two runs on three hits. She walked one and struck out 10. Freshman McKenna Galloway (Brunswick, Ohio) pitched the seventh inning to get the save.
The second game saw the Knights score four runs in the first inning and two in the second. That outburst gave the loss to freshman Amber McDermott (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne), who pitched the first three innings. The Eagles were limited to four hits. Two of those hits were homers – one by freshman outfielder Taylor Menhart (Twinsburg, Ohio) and the other by freshman catcher Jerrica Young (Loudonville, Ohio).
AU will play at Northern Kentucky on Sunday (Feb. 26). The game time for that twinbill has been moved to noon. The original start time was 11 a.m.
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