LINK – ASHLAND UNIVERSITY SOFTBALL PAGE
Ashland University's softball team played its sixth doubleheader away from home in eight days on Tuesday (April 24) at Northwood, losing both ends of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference twinbill, 6-5 (eight innings) and 9-6.
The Eagles are 18-20 overall and 8-12 in the GLIAC, while the Timberwolves are 20-17, 8-12.
Ashland took an early lead in the first game, as freshman pitcher Laney Jones' RBI groundout in the top of the second inning provided a 1-0 advantage. Northwood, however, scored three runs in the bottom of the second.
RBI doubles from junior first baseman Kylie Asmus and junior third baseman Paige Summers knotted the score at 3 after 4½ innings, but the Timberwolves responded with their own two-spot in the bottom of the fifth.
Summers drove in two runs in the top of the seventh to once again tie the game at 5, but, in the bottom of the eighth, Karli Godlewski ended the game with a one-out walk-off home run.
Of AU's 12 hits, three came from Summers (three RBIs), and two each were earned by junior center fielder Erika Farst, Asmus and junior right fielder Halle Dorko. Senior pitcher Paige McMenemy (7-8) took the loss in relief, allowing five hits and a run and striking out three in 3 1/3 innings.
Northwood took the early lead in Game 2, scoring three times in the bottom of the first. That started a see-saw which had Ashland scoring twice in the top of the second, the Timberwolves responding with one in the bottom of the second, the Eagles scoring once in the top of the third, Northwood adding three in the bottom of the third, and AU scoring twice in the top of the fourth.
When the dust settled, Northwood led 7-5 after 3½ innings.
Ashland pulled to within a run at 7-6 in the top of the fifth on a Farst RBI single, but the Timberwolves added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth for the final margin of victory.
The Eagles had 11 hits in the nightcap, with Farst (3-for-4, three RBIs) and Dorko (3-for-4) leading the way. Asmus was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, and sophomore catcher Cassie Haight was 2-for-3.
Dorko finished the day with a 10-game hitting streak, within which she is hitting .484 (15-for-31).
Junior pitcher Hannah Stroe (6-9) went 5 1/3 innings, giving up 13 hits, nine runs (six earned) and a walk and striking out five.
Ashland scored runs in seven innings during Tuesday's doubleheader, and Northwood responded with at least one run in the next half-inning in four of them.
UP NEXT: Wednesday (April 25) at 3:30 p.m. at Saginaw Valley State (19-19, 10-10).
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