AU Softball Extends Win Streak to Nine with Sweep at Findlay
April 16, 2005

By Paul Carmany, AU Sports Information

Complete Box Scores
Game 1         Game 2

The Ashland University softball team is starting to put things together at exactly the right time of the season. With just two weeks of play remaining before the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) tournament, the Eagles are now on a season-best nine-game winning streak after a 2-0, 3-2 doubleheader sweep at Findlay on Saturday (Apr. 16).

The Eagles improve to 27-13 overall and 8-4 in GLIAC play. Ashland’s conference record has it in a tie for first with Hillsdale, with a logjam of five teams sitting one game back. Findlay is now 12-18 overall and 4-8 in the GLIAC.

Game one quickly turned into a mound duel between AU’s Jaime Williams and Findlay’s Katie Shepler. With the pair matching each other pitch for pitch, the score remained deadlocked at 0 entering the top of the sixth inning.

In the top of the sixth, AU finally broke through when Kelli Williams knocked in Ashley Mayle with a single. An inning later, the Eagles scored another run as Bree Beabout doubled home Laurie Black.

Those two runs proved to be more than enough for Williams. The sophomore fashioned a one-hit shutout, striking out eight Oilers and walking none.

Mayle finished the game 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Black was 2-for-3.

Findlay found a way to score against Williams in the top of the first inning of game two, tallying an unearned run to take the early lead.

The Oilers maintained that lead until the bottom of the fourth inning. In that frame, Angie Westenkirchner drove home Danielle Rychener with a triple and Amanda Thomas scored Westenkirchner with a sacrifice fly.

One inning later, AU scored what proved to be an important insurance run when Mayle knocked in Michelle Congrove with a single to make the score 3-1.

Findlay mounted one last surge in the seventh inning, aided by a pair of Eagle defensive miscues. They scored once and had the tying run in scoring position with one out before Sarah Holets came in to record the final two outs.

Williams earned her second win of the day and improved to 17-5 on the season. Holets recorded the first save of her Ashland career.

Beabout was 2-for-2 and Nicole Placie had a double to help spark the Eagle offensive attack.

Ashland will now prepare for an important road trip. The Eagles will play a doubleheader at Grand Valley State Friday (Apr. 22), beginning at 3 p.m. They will then face Ferris State the following day at noon. The Lakers and Bulldogs are two of the teams within a game of the Eagles in the GLIAC title chase.