Posted: Mar 23, 2019
The Muskingum softball team swept Wilmington in their Ohio Athletic Conference opener on Saturday afternoon. The Muskies claimed a thrilling 5-4 nine inning victory in game one and captured game two 12-4 in six innings. The sweep moved Muskingum to 38-0 all-time against Wilmington.
THE BASICS
- Records: Muskingum (16-2 overall, 2-0 OAC), Wilmington (8-4 overall, 0-2 OAC)
- Location: New Concord, Ohio - Donna J. Newberry Field
- Weather: Sunny & Clear
NOTABLES
- Senior Krissy Hughes broke the school record for most stolen bases in a single season with 22. The record was previously held by Kayley Bevard who had a career-best 21 stolen bases in 2013.
GAME ONE
In the seventh inning, freshman Haley Hawk secured a two-run, two-out double to tie the game 4-4 and send the Muskies into extra innings. Sophomore Shaena Mayer secured the game-winning RBI off of a single to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning to lock in the twelfth straight victory for the Muskies.
In the first inning, sophomore Karsyn Shaffer singled to right center, to put the Muskies on the board. Sophomore Riley Powers notched a one-run single in the bottom of the third inning to give the Muskies a two-point edge (2-0) on the Quakers. Wilmington answered back with three runs on four hits in the top of the fifth inning, giving them a 4-2 lead over the Muskies.
The Muskies notched five runs off of 11 hits. Hawk went 2-for-2 at the plate and led the Muskies with two RBIs and one double, while Hughes went 3-for-4 at the plate and tallied two doubles. Shaffer added one RBI, recorded one stolen base, and secured an unassisted double play in the top of the seventh inning.
Freshman Hannah Smith secured the win in the circle for the Muskies. Smith pitched two innings and secured three strikeouts. Smith earned her fifth victory of the season. Eberling tossed 4.2 innings and recorded three strikeouts, while sophomore Hannah Duff saw action in 2.1 innings and notched two strikeouts.
Hayley Suchland guided the Quakers with a team-best two RBIs. Grace Shell took the loss for Wilmington after tossing 8.2 innings and allowing five runs on 11 hits.
GAME TWO
In the first inning, Hawk grounded out to second base, to score Hughes. Sophomore Jaelyn Meade then singled to second base to extend the lead 2-0. Hawk recorded a three-run double in the bottom of the second inning to give the Muskies a four-point advantage over Wilmington.
Powers fired up the Muskies in the fourth inning with a single up the left field line, to score Hughes. Eberling led the charge with a two-run double to expand the lead 8-0. Sophomore Bailey Waitkus closed out the inning for the Muskies with an RBI double to give Muskingum a ten-point (10-0) edge on the Quakers. Wilmington secured four runs off of five hits in the fifth inning in an attempt to close the gap, but the Muskies could not be halted. Muskingum notched two runs on three hits in the sixth inning en route to the 12-4 victory over the Quakers.
Hawk guided the Muskies with a team-best four RBIs and notched one double. Eberling, Waitkus, and Rininger chipped in two RBIs each. Shaffer notched a team-high two stolen bases.
Smith pitched a total of 5.2 innings and earned her sixth victory of the season. Smith allowed no runs on four hits, with three strikeouts.
Alecia Kemp directed the Quakers with two RBIs and one double. Hayley Suchland took the loss for Wilmington after tossing three innings and allowing eight runs on 10 hits.
UP NEXT
The Muskies next travel to Crestview Hills, Kentucky to battle the Thomas More Saints on Sunday, March 24. Game one of the double header is slated for 12:00 p.m.
