Softball falls in both games of double header to Alma (Mich.)

By: Andrew Korba

ADA -- The Ohio Northern softball team dropped both contests of a double header against Alma (Mich.) on Friday afternoon at the ONU Softball Field.

The Polar Bears see their record fall to 7-7, while the Scots improve to 7-5.

ONU dropped Game 1 by a score of 14-12.

Junior Adriana Sikora paced Northern, going a perfect 4-for-4, driving in four runs and blasting her team leading fifth homer of the season.

The Polar Bears jumped on the board, scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning.

Alma came back, scoring five runs in the second and four more in the third, to take a 9-1 lead.

ONU would score a run in the third and five times in the fourth, trimming the lead to 9-7.

In the fourth, senior Christin Miller laced a double that scored junior Taylor Manahan.

Senior Carly McKenzie followed with a single to score senior Bree Hiteshew and Sikora blasted a 3-run home run to close out the scoring in the inning.

The Scots would respond, scoring twice in the fifth and sixth inning and tacking on another run in the seventh to push their lead to 14-7.

But Northern put together a rally in the seventh.

Junior Jamie Westenkirchner led off the inning with a single.

Sophomore Tessa Topp followed with a walk, moving senior pinch runner Colleen Baliga to second.

A double from Hiteshew scored Topp and freshman Megan Hupp followed with a single to drive in Baliga, cutting the ONU deficit to 14-9.

Miller came up and singled and McKenzie laced a single to score two more runs.

Sikora would single to score Miller and cut the Alma lead to 14-12.

Sophomore Anne Dreher stepped up and rocketed a ball up the middle, but Alma pitcher Samantha Pierce snagged it and doubled Sikora off at first.

McKenzie and Miller also recorded three hits each for Northern in the first game.

Game 2 was called after six innings due to darkness, with the Scots holding a 6-3 lead.

The Scots scored a run in the first to take the lead, but the Polar Bears got a RBI double from Sikora and a sac fly by Dreher to take a 2-1 lead in the third.

Alma tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth, but ONU came right back in its half on a RBI single from Miller to jump back in front 3-2.

The Scots would score twice in the fifth and sixth to notch the victory.

Miller and Sikora each collected two hits in the game.

Ohio Northern will return to action on Saturday, when it opens OAC play at Heidelberg. The start time has been pushed back to 3 pm.