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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The top-seeded and No. 21-ranked Otterbein softball team defeated Muskingum in game one on day one of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament, before falling to Ohio Northern in a marathon game due to rain and lightning delay.

The Cardinals (31-9 overall) will await the winner of the first consolation game of the day Saturday between Heidelberg and Muskingum, with that game's victor moving on to face Otterbein in an elimination game at approximately 12 p.m.

Game One vs. #4 Muskingum – Won, 8-1

The Cardinals posted runs in four different innings in their first matchup of the conference tournament, pushing across multiple runs in two of them.

Otterbein's first run came on a two-out two-run triple down the right field line in the last half of the second inning, scoring senior Savannah Sarkine and freshman Katrina Wierzbicki.
Muskingum responded with a run of its own to leadoff the following frame, bunching together a pair of hits before Alexi Dowdle singled to left center to make the score 2-1.

The Cards then exploded for five runs on six hits in the fifth inning to increase their lead to 7-1, before tacking on an additional score in the sixth on a single to left field by senior Megan Garner, which scored classmate Bailey McElwain on an error in the outfield.

Junior Gabby Johnson earned her 15th win of the season for the Cards after tossing a complete-game four-hitter in which she struck out seven batters and walked four.
Junior Alyson Shaw, as well as McElwain and Garner, each recorded a two-hit game.

Game Two vs. #3 Ohio Northern – Lost, 3-2

A rain and lightning-delayed affair in the last half of the fifth interrupted the second-to-last schedule game of day one of competition, as a showdown in the pitcher's circle between Johnson and ONU's Kirsten Lightel was the highlight.

The Polar Bears jumped out in front first in the bottom of the first inning, as they played as the home team, manufacturing a run after lead-off hitter Jenna Hollar reached on an error to start the game before coming around to score.

Otterbein tied the game at one run apiece to start off the fourth frame, as a leadoff single from Garner sparked a three-hit inning in which pinch runner Erin Vonderwell came around to score the tying run.

But it was Ohio Northern which was able to break the 1-1 tie on a pair of singles to start the last half of the fifth inning, prompting Johnson to enter the game for Owens who moved out to left field, before scoring on a passed ball.

After nearly an hour delay due to rain and lightning in the area, before ONU returned to the field with a runner on second and nobody out. Polar Bear catcher Gabby Stewart then made the score 3-1 in her team's favor on another passed ball to make it both runs unearned.

The Cardinals then managed to push across a run in the top of the sixth, as pinch-hitter Maria Reed reached on an error which in turn scored Garner from third base.

Lightel then tossed a 1-2-3 inning to close out the last half inning, inducing two lineouts to left field and a groundout en route to securing a spot for the Polar Bears in the championship game.