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ATHENS, Ohio â€" Despite a furious seventh inning rally, the Ohio softball team (24-15, 6-6 MAC) fell short against Akron (22-17-1, 6-4-1), dropping the first game of the three game series, 4-3, on Friday afternoon (April, 15) at the Ohio Softball Field.

“This crew is young, tough and they keep going,” head coach Jodi Hermanek said. “I told them in the sixth inning every pitch that forms from now on prepares us for heading into tomorrow. More work that we can do, we need to stay focused.”

The Zips struck first in the top of the third inning, when with two outs, Savannah Fruin hit her eighth homerun of the year, giving Akron a 1-0 lead.

Akron added on in the top of the sixth inning. With runners on second and third, starter Savannah Jo Dorsey (Grove City, Ohio) would throw and wild pitch, allowing Alyssa Nicholas to score from third. Then due to a Bobcat error, Carley Childress would score from second. Then, later in the inning, Taylor Kirian would score on a throwing error, putting the Zips up 4-0.

The Bobcats would not go away quietly, and in the bottom of the seventh inning, Ohio put together a rally starting with a base hit through the middle by Deanna Cole (Akron, Ohio). Morgan Geno (Chillicothe, Ohio) would then walk and be replaced on the base path by Alex Day (Hilliard, Ohio). Cole would then advance to third on a sacrifice fly by Madison Claytor (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Cole would then score by a bullet through the middle by Mikayla Cooper (Delaware, Ohio). Ohio would then load the bases on a hit to center by Casie Hutchinson (Lebanon, Ohio), then with one out, Michaela Dorsey (Grove City, Ohio) would smash a double to rightfield, scoring Day and Cooper from second and third. However, the Bobcats’ rally would fall short and Akron would take game one by the final of 4-3.

“I think that we definitely could have done a better job as an offense from the very first inning,” Taylor Saxton (Circleville, Ohio) said. “That's something that we talk about a lot that we need to get better at. This team has a lot of fight and we don't want to go down early. We just have a lot of fight and a lot of passion. You don't want to play us in the seventh inning when we are down.”

In the circle, Savannah Jo Dorsey got the start, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing four runs (one earned) on two hits and struck out 10. Danielle Stiene (Loveland, Ohio) entered the game in the top of the sixth and would pitch 1.1 innings, allowing no runs on one hit and striking out three.

“It's an emotional game, but we showed up and that's all you can really ask for,” Michaela Dorsey said. â€œWe just have to take our adjustments into tomorrow and know that we can hit her because we can. We outhit them and that was just in one inning.”

At the plate, the Bobcats had five hits with Jamie Wren (Whittier, Calif.) getting her first career hit. Cole and Hutchinson both added a hit, while Copper had a hit and an RBI and Michaela Dorsey had a double with two RBI.

“It's just the mentality and the competitiveness that this team has,” Hermanek said. “It just takes one pitch. Don't get off the field until that last pitch is done. Taylor [Saxton] is right, I don't think anyone wants to be on the field with us when we are down in the last inning.

Ohio returns to action for the final two games of the series against Akron. The doubleheader is set to begin at 1 p.m. at the Ohio Softball Field.

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