The Hillsdale College softball team has been hitting at an impressive clip so far in 2026.

On Monday in a home doubleheader against Cedarville, that pace turned record-setting, as the Chargers out-slugged the visiting Yellow Jackets to improve to 8-0 in G-MAC play. 

Hillsdale blasted seven home runs against the Yellow Jackets in the doubleheader, including a program record-setting five in the nightcap in a dominant showing at the plate.

 The Chargers actually came to the plate for the first time trailing in both contests, as Cedarville got off to fast starts to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first in game one and a 2-0 lead in the opening frame of the second contest.

Once Hillsdale got the chance to bat, however, the Chargers quickly got rolling and couldn't be stopped. Hillsdale scored in every inning of the first game with nine unanswered runs in a 9-1 victory that went just five innings. Maggie Olaveson hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning that cleared the right field fence, and Nathalie Hagle, newly minted as the G-MAC Softball Player of the Week for her performance last game, blasted a two-run shot off the scoreboard in left field in the bottom of the fourth as well.

The biggest offensive contributions in game one, however, came from leadoff hitter Ronnie Craft, who went 4 for 4 at the plate with a stolen base. One of Craft's four hits in the contest was a two-run double in the second that put Hillsdale ahead for good, and her last was a single through the left side in the bottom of the fifth that scored two runs to secure the walk off victory. Hagle also added a RBI single for the Chargers in the win.

Hillsdale batted .500 as a team in the victory, with Anna Chellman adding two doubles and Olivia Liguori going 2 for 3 as well. Emma Sather also finished with two stolen bases for the Chargers.

Mackenzi Maxson (6-3) picked up the complete game victory on the mound in five innings, striking out three and walking one while giving up three hits and one earned run.

Hillsdale was even better at the plate in the nightcap with a record-setting power performance to take a 13-9 victory. Maggie Olaveson added two more home runs to her blast from the first game, with a two-run shot that cleared the deepest part of the centerfield fence in the bottom of the third inning and a solo shot off the scoreboard in the sixth that provided a critical late game insurance run for the Chargers.

Olivia Liguori followed up Olaveson's third inning blast with a solo shot to left center, helping put Hillsdale up 8-2 in the third inning, and Hillsdale's other two home runs also came back-to-back, as Anna Chellman hit a two-run shot to left field in the bottom of the fifth, and Medleigh Danchak hit a solo shot to right center in the next at-bat. Those two fifth inning home runs were critical for the Chargers, who had seen Cedarville close to within one run in the top of the fifth thanks to a power-fueled five run inning of their own. Hillsdale responded with four in the bottom of the fifth on those two home runs and a RBI double by Taylor Lewis to keep the Yellow Jackets at bay and give themselves a lead the Chargers could hold on to through the end.

Hillsdale finished with 15 hits in the win, with seven players providing multiple hits. Along with the five bombs, Taylor Lewis added a RBI single to that RBI double, Olivia Liguori had a RBI triple to go with her home run, and Anna Chellman and Ronnie Craft each added a RBI single as well. Emma Sather also went 2 for 2 with a stolen base for Hillsdale as well.

The Chargers used four pitchers in the high scoring affair. Starter Gracelynn Kelly pitched the first inning and gave way to reliever Katie Jonas (4-3), who pitched three and a third innings with three strikeouts and two walks to get the victory. Grace Harris also pitched an inning and two thirds for the Chargers and Maxson returned to close out the final inning, striking out one and finishing off the Yellow Jackets.

With those seven home runs today, Hillsdale now has 29 on the season, tied for fourth most all-time in a single season and just eight shy of the record held jointly by the 2021 and 2024 squads. 14 of those home runs have come in the last five days, as the Chargers also had six home runs in a road doubleheader sweep of Northwood this past Wednesday.

Hillsdale is now 20-11 overall and in first place in the G-MAC at 8-0, with four games in hand over the only other unbeaten squad in G-MAC play, 4-0 Ohio Dominican. The road gets tougher for the Chargers this week, as Hillsdale travels to the top two teams in the G-MAC preseason poll. Hillsdale starts with a doubleheader on Friday at 1 p.m. against defending regular season champion Tiffin, then travels to play 20-8 Findlay, a rival, on Saturday at 1 p.m.