Final Stats

Game One PDF Boxscore | Game Two PDF Boxscore

RALEIGH, N.C. - On the second day of play at the NC State Doubletree RDU Invite, the Ohio softball team (15-7) defeated Bryant (0-20) 4-3 to close out round robin play before walking off 3-2 in the tournament semifinal.

GAME ONE
The Bulldogs got on the board first, when a leadoff single in the second from Elle Madsen got things going for Bryant. A single from Hayley Bottino put Madsen on second, and both runners advanced to second and third on a passed ball. Rachel Monroe brought Madsen in on a single into right field that put Ohio in a 1-0 hole.

In the bottom of the inning, the Bobcats fought back when Natalie Alvarez (Long Beach, Calif.) reached on an error by the first baseman on a routine grounder. Following the play, MacKenzie Brunswick (Bellefontain, Ohio) entered to pinch-run for Alvarez. Sloan Walker (Cypress, Texas) got on by sneaking a single under the second baseman for a base hit, allowing Brunswick to round second and slide into third. After Walker stole second uncontested, a fielder's choice from Amanda Dalton (Salem, Va.) caught Brunswick on the base path. The next batter, Michaela Dorsey (Grove City, Ohio), doubled into the right-center gap, scoring Walker and tying the game for Ohio.

In the next inning, the Bobcats took the lead, when Mikayla Cooper (Delaware, Ohio) sent her fourth home run of the season over the left field wall to put Ohio on top 2-1.

In the fifth, Alvarez took a walk with two outs to get aboard. Walker followed her on by ripping a single off of the shortstop's glove to put two on. Alvarez was then replaced by Alex Day at second, and after Dalton eked a single between the third baseman and foul line into left, Day came around third to score and make it 3-1.

In the sixth, Ohio scored yet again. Taylor Saxton (Circleville, Ohio), singled to the pitcher and then stole second, and Deanna Cole (Akron, Ohio) repeated that to place runners at second and third. A sacrifice fly to right field from Casie Hutchinson (Lebanon, Ohio) allowed Saxton to score and extend Ohio's lead to 4-1.

"We were just focused on getting on base and setting the table and letting the power hitters come in and move us around," Cole said, "You just want to be aggressive all the time because the defense has to make a perfect play on you."

Bryant's bats sprung back to life in the seventh after four silent innings. A leadoff single by Kaleigh Goulart and a double from Madsen put runners on second and third with no outs, and a pop-out in foul territory by Bottino allowed Goulart to tag up and score while Madsen moved to third. A wild pitch to the backstop brought Madsen in and narrowed the gap to 4-3. However, Ohio kept cool and Danielle Stiene (Loveland, Ohio) ended the game by striking out Bryant's final batter.

"I was really frustrated with the last [run scored]," Stiene said, "They didn't give up. They want to win a game and we want to win the game too. It was just all about staying mentally strong and the whole team staying loose."

Ohio's offense notched 10 hits for the game. Cole paced the Bobcats with three, Dalton and Walker had two apiece, and Saxton, Dorsey, and Cooper each had one.

Stiene's outing lasted a full seven innings, and saw her allow three runs (two earned) on five hits and no walks while she struck out eight.

"I had a really good defense behind me, that's obvious," Stiene added, "I went out there feeling really confident, and I have my team to loosen me up so I don't get uptight, but I just felt good. That's basically all it was.

GAME TWO
Having won all three of their previous games on the weekend, Ohio earned the number one seed going into the playoff portion of the tourney, setting up a rematch with fourth-seeded Bryant in the afternoon game.

In the opening frame, Goulart earned a walk to get aboard. A single by Madsen into center allowed Goulart to get around to third, and a wild pitch gave her home and gave the Bulldogs a quick 1-0 lead.

Bryant made it a 2-0 game in the second when Liana Ogata singled into the right field corner to score Haylee Haas from first after she hit a leadoff single to short. Savannah Jo Dorsey (Grove City, Ohio) entered the game to relieve Morgan Geno (Chillicothe, Ohio) shortly thereafter.

After stranding eight total runners through four innings, Ohio finally crossed the plate in the bottom of the fifth. The inning began with a bunt from Saxton, who made it to second on a steal, and then third on a ground out by Cole. Hutchinson then drew a walk, so Alex Day (Hilliard, Ohio) came in to run in her place. After Day stole second, Claytor walked as well, ending Colby Norris' day.

Elle Madsen entered to pitch for the Bulldogs, and Cooper made a quick impression by zipping a line drive into the right-center gap, allowing Saxton and Day to score and level the game at 2-2.

After Dorsey tossed a 1-2-3 top of the seventh, the Bobcats came up in the bottom of the inning looking for the win. A leadoff single from Hutchinson got things rolling, and she got to second after Claytor set down a sacrifice bunt. After Cooper walked, Alvarez loaded the bases by dropping a single in front of the left fielder. Hutchinson was forced out on the next play, a fielder's choice at home off the bat of Walker, but with a full count and two outs, Dalton poked a shot up the left side to plate Cooper and deliver a win for the Bobcats.

"I had one at-bat off [Madsen] previously, and I felt pretty good, so I came into the at-bat thinking I for sure was going to get it done," Dalton said after the game-winning single, "I didn't have a doubt in my head. That's what matters, knowing you can do it. I envisioned what was going to happen, and I did it."

Ohio managed to total 10 hits again in the second game. Dalton led the team by going 3-for-4, Cooper had two of her own, and Saxton, Cole, Hutchinson, Alvarez, and Walker had one each.

In Geno's 1.2 innings in the circle, she allowed two runs (both earned) on three hits and a walk while striking out a pair. Dorsey's relief effort was perfect. She threw 5.1 innings without allowing a baserunner on while fanning 10 batters.

UP NEXT
With the second win on the day, Ohio advanced to the finals of the tournament, where they will play the winner of the semifinal matchup between IUPUI and NC State tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.

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