The Hillsdale College softball team continued a spirited run through the elimination bracket of the G-MAC Tournament on Friday in Akron, but came up short of the final on Saturday in a one-run loss to Ashland to end the night.
After pulling off two do-or-die wins on Thursday, Hillsdale stunned top-seeded Tiffin 6-5 in another elimination game to start the evening on Friday, winning in extra innings. After the Dragons scored in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at five runs apiece, Hillsdale scored the winning run in the eighth, as
Ronnie Craft drove in
Ava Stripp on a RBI single to centerfield to put the Chargers ahead for good.
Mackenzi Maxson, pitching a complete game into eighth, retired Tiffin's batters in order, finishing the game with a swinging strikeout for her 12th victory of the season.
The game was a roller-coaster affair with multiple lead changes. Tiffin jumped out to the lead first with two runs in the bottom of the first, but Stripp tied the game with one swing of the bat in the top of the second with a two-run home run. The game remained tied until a
Maggie Olaveson solo-shot for the Chargers in the top of the fifth, but Tiffin pulled ahead with a two run single in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 4-3 advantage.
In the top of the sixth, the Chargers pulled ahead once more, as
Ronnie Craft drove in a run on a fielder's choice and
Emma Sather also scored on the play to give Hillsdale a 5-4 edge. Tiffin then tied up the game in the bottom of the seventh before Hillsdale won the contest in extra innings.
Stripp, a freshman forced into the lineup in the tournament by injury, had a huge contest for the Chargers, going 3 for 3 at the plate with a critical home run and also adding a stolen base.
Ronnie Craft went 2 for 5 and also stole two bases for the Chargers,
Nathalie Hagle chipped in a single and a double, and
Olivia Liguori finished with a triple as well.
Maxson pitched all eight innings with three strikeouts and two walks to help the Chargers advance in another strong pitching performance for the senior.
Playing again immediately following the win over Tiffin, Hillsdale battled Ashland in an elimination game under the lights in Firestone Stadium for a spot in the Saturday final. The Charger broke open a 2-2 game with three runs in the top of the fifth, bookended by RBI singles for
Maggie Olaveson and
Medleigh Danchak, to take a commanding 5-2 lead. Ashland, however, answered back with a grand slam in the bottom of the inning to pull ahead 6-5, and Hillsdale was unable to cash in runners in scoring position in the final two innings to extend the game.
Olaveson, a senior was 3 for 4 with a double and a RBI at the plate in a stellar performance in what could be her final game in a Chargers uniform, while
Nathalie Hagle chipped in a solo home run in the first inning, and
Medleigh Danchak added two RBIs.
Katie Jonas (9-5) took the loss in relief for Hillsdale, while starter
Grace Harris pitched two and two-thirds innings and Maxson finished the game with one and two-thirds scoreless innings for the Chargers.
Hillsdale departs from the tournament at 32-20 overall, and now the fate of its season rests in the hands of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, as the Chargers hope for an at-large bid to the Midwest Regional when the field is revealed next Sunday, May 10.
