ADA, Ohio – The Capital University softball team secured a big-time sweep over Ohio Northern University on Wednesday afternoon, inching ever closer to the top half of the OAC standings during the end-of-year push for postseason play. The Comets took game one 6-2 before needing extras to win game two 6-5.
The wins bring Cap to 14-14 overall and 4-8 in the conference. ONU slides back to 19-13 overall and 9-5 in the OAC.
GAME ONE: Capital wins 6-3
Capital went behind in the first inning as two runs scored via a two-run play on an error.
With not further damage through to the fourth inning, Capital was able to get their offense going and evened the score at 2-2.
Autumn Bridges got things started with a single and was followed by a walk from
Lexie Leggett and a single from
Krislyn Bayles. Bridges then scored on a sac fly from
Liz Stonerock and Leggett scored on an RBI single by
Megan Mlinaric.
With the game all square, Cap got a pair of runs in both the top half of the sixth and seventh innings to go ahead 6-2.
In the sixth,
Autumn Bridges scored on a squeeze bunt by
Krislyn Bayles and then
Lexie Leggett scored on a similar play from
Liz Stonerock.
In the seventh, Capital's first run came after
Kyleigh Kirby led off the inning with a double. She scored as Bridges reached on an error. Later in the inning,
Lexie Leggett was able to steal home as
Liz Stonerock swiped second base for the final run.
ONU hit a home run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-3, but that would be as close as they would come in the pivotal win for the Comets.
Brianna Shearer tossed a complete game and allowed just four hits and a single walk for three runs (two earned). She struckout six Polar Bears in the strong effort.
Lexie Leggett,
Megan Mlinaric and
Tiffany Zuelzke led Capital with two hits each in the game.
GAME TWO: Capital wins 6-5 (8 innings)
The Comets took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning and eventually succumbed the lead and went to the bottom of the 7th tied at 2-2. There, the Comets survived with a huge double play that saw
Lexie Leggett throw out a Polar Bear trying to score the winning run on a fly out. The double play ended the inning and forced extras where Capital scored four times in the top of the eighth to do enough to secure the sweep.
First in the top of the first inning, Capital put two runners on thanks to
Kyleigh Kirby's infield single and
Lexie Leggett's walk.
Krislyn Bayles then doubled both of them home to start the scoring.
From there, Capital starting pitcher,
Brianna Shearer hurled a gem until the bottom of the sixth when she conceded a pair of runs and was relieved by Bayles on the mound.
In the eighth inning, Capital got it going with a lead-off single from Leggett and continued the inning with a couple of errors by the ONU defense. Leggett scored the first run when
Megan Mlinaric reached safely on an error. Then,
Krislyn Bayles scored when
Tiffany Zuelzke singled to left. Continuing the inning,
Kelcie Schnitzler and
Autumn Bridges both delivered RBIs to put Cap ahead 6-2.
In the bottom of the eighth, some defensive hiccups made things nervy, but eventually, Capital escaped with the 6-5 win.
Shearer started and threw 5.2 innings allowing seven hits and a pair of runs. Bayles threw 2.1 innings and surrendered just three hits and three unearned runs to pick-up the win.
Krislyn Bayles,
Tiffany Zuelzke, and
Emma Gant led the way with two hits each in the second game.
UP NEXT
Capital will make a quick turnaround and travel to Berea, Ohio tomorrow to take on Baldwin Wallace at 3 and 5 p.m. Those games were originally scheduled for Saturday, but have been moved forward due to the weekend weather forecast.
