Softball drops doubleheader to Hope (Mich.) to open ONU Invitational

Softball drops doubleheader to Hope (Mich.) to open ONU Invitational
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March 20, 2026

ADA — The Ohio Northern softball team dropped a doubleheader to Hope (Mich.) on Friday afternoon to kick off the ONU Invitational.

The Polar Bears fell 10-3 in game one and 9-4 in the second game.

| ONU Invitational Site |

The Basics

  • Records: Ohio Northern (5-7 Overall), Hope (7-5 Overall).
  • Venue: Durbin-Hileman Stadium — Ada, Ohio.

Game 1 — L, 3-10

  • Hope kicked off scoring with a run in the top of the second inning.
  • In the bottom of the third, freshman Ellie Mason (New Philadelphia) hit an RBI double to right field to score sophomore Lillie Marker (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage).
  • Mason then scored on a single by junior Carlie Schroeder (Wapakoneta) to take the lead, 2-1.
  • In the bottom of the fifth inning, Mason hit in another run to make the score 3-1.
  • The Flyling Dutch went on to score eight runs in the sixth inning, and one more run in the seventh.
  • Mason went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and one run to lead the Polar Bears.
  • Freshman Brooklyn Osterloh (Minster) (1-3) started in the circle for ONU and pitched 5.1 innings.
  • Freshman Natalie Gonzalez pitched the final 1.2 innings and struck out two.
  • HC out-hit ONU 15-8.

Game 2 — L, 4-9

  • Hope got out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
  • In the bottom of the second, sophomore Avery Neth (Williamsburg) hit an RBI single to score freshman Karlie Jannings (Lapel, Ind.)
  • The Flying Dutch scored two runs in each the fifth and sixth innings to take a 6-1 lead.
  • In the bottom of the sixth, freshman Alexa Ray (Worthington/Bishop Watterson) doubled to center field to knock in a run.
  • Mason singled through the right side to pick up two more RBIs, scoring Marker and Ray to cut Hope's lead to 6-4.
  • Hope scored three runs in the top of the seventh and held Northern in the bottom of the inning to secure the win.
  • Neth (2-2) pitched 6.2 innings and struck out one in the circle for the Polar Bears.
  • ONU and HC each had 9 hits.

Notables

  • The ONU Invitational features six teams and has 11 games running from Friday to Sunday.
  • The teams competing in the Invitational are Alma (Mich.), Hope (Mich.), Mount St. Joseph, Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg.
  • Ohio Northern is now 7-8 all-time against Hope (Mich.)
  • Mason was 4-for-7 with four RBIs on the day to lead the Polar Bears.
  • Mason leads the team in batting at .367, followed by Ray (.359) and Marker (.314).
  • Senior Allie Wilson (Wapakoneta) is 25th all-time at ONU with 133 career base hits.
  • Wilson needs just one home run and 8 RBIs to break into ONU's top-10 lists in those categories.
  • Ohio Northern is in its 59th season of softball. The Polar Bears are 1,021-710-4 all-time, a winning percentage of .588.
  • Head coach Summer Collins is in her second season at Ohio Northern with a 25-30 record.

Up Next

  • The Polar Bears will return to action on Sunday with home games against Ohio Wesleyan at 10 a.m. and Wittenberg at 4 p.m.