LINK – ASHLAND UNIVERSITY SOFTBALL PAGE
FINDLAY, Ohio - As the old saying goes, "Turnabout is fair play."
In the top of the seventh inning of the 2017 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday (May 6) afternoon at Marathon Diamonds, Ashland University's softball team had the bases loaded with no outs and couldn't score against Ohio Dominican.
Fast-forward to the bottom of the 11th inning, and with the Eagles clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Panthers also loaded the bags with no outs, only to see Ashland work out of the jam to advance.
The No. 5-seeded Eagles (29-21), playing their longest game of the season and their fifth consecutive one-run game and 22nd of 2017, improve to 9-3 in their last 12 games. The No. 4-seeded Panthers' season ends at 27-22.
Ashland's run came in the top of the 11th on a two-out RBI double to left field off the bat of sophomore second baseman Paige Summers. In the bottom of the 11th, ODU loaded the bases, but junior pitcher Paige McMenemy got a strikeout and induced a 4-2-3 double play to end the contest.
Prior to the 11th, both teams had their chances to take the lead.
- The Panthers loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the first before sophomore pitcher Hannah Stroe got the inning-ending whiff.
- In the bottom of the third, Ohio Dominican had a runner on second with one out before Summers turned an unassisted double play.
- ODU had runners on second and third with two outs prior to Stroe getting the inning-ending groundout.
- In the top of the seventh, Ashland had its bases-loaded, no-out situation, but a strikeout, a pop out and a ground out finished the threat.
Combined, the Eagles (eight) and Panthers (11) left 19 runners on base.
Stroe improved to 11-10 following her best outing in an Ashland uniform – 10 innings, eight hits, no runs, four walks and one strikeout. McMenemy earned her fourth save of the season.
Sophomore first baseman Kylie Asmus was 2-for-5 in Ashland's six-hit attack.
UP NEXT: Grand Valley State in the GLIAC Tournament semifinal on Saturday at approximately 7 p.m.
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