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BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Ohio softball team (1-0) opened the 2023 season this morning, defeating George Mason (0-1), 6-5, in walk-off fashion in the opening game of the Gardner Webb Runnin' Bulldog Classic. 
 
The win was first year head coach Jenna Hall's first win as a head coach. 
 
Overall, Ohio scored six runs on eight hits and had one error, while George Mason recorded five runs, eight hits and two errors. 
 
Junior Annalia Paoli (Point Marion, Pa.) led Ohio offensively, hitting two homeruns – including the game-tying homerun in the bottom of the seventh – and recorded four RBI, drew one walk and scored two runs. Junior Yasmine Logan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) went 2-for-4 with a homerun, triple, RBI and two runs scored. Freshmen Belle Hummel (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Austy Miller (Bradford, Ohio) and sophomore Reagan Farmer (Baltimore, Ohio) and Emma Hoffner (New Stanton, Pa.) all had hits for Ohio. 
 
After missing all last season, redshirt freshman Skipp Miller (Bradford, Ohio) got the start, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walked five and struck out six. Graduate student Kylie Coffelt (Beloit, Ohio) pitched 2.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits, walked one and struck out two. 
 
The Bobcats opened the season with a bang, when Logan crushed a solo shot to leftfield, putting Ohio up 1-0 early. After a scoreless second inning, Ohio added on in the bottom of the third when Paoli hit a two-run homerun, putting Ohio up 3-0 after three innings.
 
George Mason got on the board in the top of the fourth inning, scoring two runs on two hits and one error to cut the Ohio lead to one after four innings.  After a scoreless fifth and sixth innings from both teams, the excitement began in the top of the seventh inning when George Mason took a late 5-3 lead after scoring three runs on four hits. 
 
The Ohio offense refused to give in, when in the bottom of the seventh, Logan began the inning with a leadoff triple to right field. Moments later, Paoli came to the plate and crushed her second two-run homerun of the game, tying the game at 5-5 with no outs. 
 
Moments later, Farmer reached on a single to left, forcing George Mason to make a pitching game. Still with no outs, sophomore CiCi Keidel (Hilliard, Ohio) would reach first after a throwing error by the pitcher, allowing pinch runner freshman Shelby Westler (Marion, Ohio) to score from first, giving Ohio the 5-6 victory. 
 
Ohio is back in action for the second day of the Runnin' Bulldog Classic tomorrow morning when they take on Austin Peay at 11 a.m., before closing out the day with host Gardner Webb at 3 p.m. 
 
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