Softball wraps up spring break trip with 6-4 record after victories over Rutgers-Camden and Lake Forest

By Tim Glon

JAN PHYL VILLAGE, Fla. — The Ohio Northern softball team wrapped up its annual spring break trip on Friday with victories over Rutgers-Camden (N.J.) and Lake Forest (Ill.) at the Auburndale Softball Complex.

The Polar Bears (6-4 overall) began the morning with a 5-2 victory over Rutgers-Camden.

Junior Allie Bican (Solon) threw an 11-strikeout, 5-hit complete game in the circle to improve to 2-3 on the season.

Bican was also responsible for three of the five runs on offense, including a two-run single in the top of the fifth to extend ONU's lead to 4-0.

Senior Lauren Walls (Grove City) and sophomore Callie Rosser (Republic/Monroeville) each had two hits for Northern.

The Scarlet Raptors (2-9) were led by Jayden Hunter with two hits.

In the night cap against the Foresters (6-5), Northern rallied from a 3-2 deficit with runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to record its fifth victory in the past six games.

LFC pitcher Ailee Pederson took a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh when a two-out single by sophomore Ashley Lenser (Brookville) ended the no-no bid and kept the Polar Bears alive.

Sophomore pinch-hitter Mariana Alejandro (Gibsonburg) went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by freshman Allie Wilson (Wapakoneta) to tie the game at 3-3 and send it into extra innings.

In the bottom of the eighth, senior Lauren Walls (Grove City) singled home sophomore Taylor Hilty (Kettering/Fairmont), who started the inning on second base due to the NCAA's extra-inning rule, with the winning run.

Northern took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first without getting a base hit. Rosser led off the inning by reaching on an error and senior Abby Elliott (Loveland/Ursuline) was hit by pitch. Both players moved up on a ground out by junior Kylie Griffin (Grafton/Elyria Catholic).

Rosser then scored on a wild pitch and Elliott came home on a ground out by freshman Hailey Fraser (Erie, Colo.)

LFC scored single runs in the fifth and seventh innings to go ahead 3-2.

Lenser improved to 4-1 on the season with the complete game victory, striking out six.

"This was a good week for us," ONU head coach Jackie Price said. "We played a lot of people and gave some ladies a chance to step up. The overall record was not quite what we wanted, but we got some younger players valuable experience and hopefully it will pay off as the year progresses."

The Polar Bears will return to action on March 24 with their home-opening double header with Calvin (Mich.) at the ONU Softball Field.