Softball drops doubleheader to Hope (Mich.) to open ONU Invitational
Game 1
Game 1
Hope (Mich.)
6-5
10
AT
Ohio Northern
5-6
3
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hope (Mich.) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 15 | 1 |
| Ohio Northern | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
Game 2
Game 2
Hope (Mich.)
7-5
9
AT
Ohio Northern
5-7
4
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hope (Mich.) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Ohio Northern | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
Team Stats
Game 1
Pitching
Win: Hailey Mellec (3-5)
Loss: Brooklyn Osterloh (1-3)
Batting
Hope (Mich.)
2B:
Kate DeMann; Jalen Fossitt
3B:
none
HR:
Becca Tuttle
Game 2
Pitching
Win: Gianna Kerschbaum (4-0)
Loss: Avery Neth (2-2)
Batting
Hope (Mich.)
2B:
Gianna Kerschbaum
3B:
Emily Brown
HR:
none
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.
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.
