Softball pounds out 28 hits, 21 runs in run-rule sweep of Hiram

April 8, 2008

By Tim Glon

ADA — The Ohio Northern softball team pounded out 28 hits and scored 21 runs in a double header sweep of non-conference foe Hiram Tuesday afternoon at the ONU Softball Field.

The Polar Bears improve to 16-6 on the year and ran their win streak to six games, while the Terriers fall to 7-11.

Northern won the opener 12-4 and won the second game 9-1. Both games were called in the bottom of the sixth inning due to the NCAAs 8-run rule. Eleven of ONU’s 16 victories this season have been called early due to the run rule.

Five different Polar Bears had at least four hits in the two games, led by sophomores Tina Mangola and Mandi Fought.

Mangola was 5-for-8 with her school-record 17th career home run (fifth of the season), a double, a triple and four RBI on the day.

Fought was 5-for-8 with four RBI, four runs scored and a home run.

Her home run, a three-run shot to center field, capped a 4-run sixth inning and ended the game early.

With ONU leading 8-4 in the home half of the sixth, Lisa Goltry singled home Katie Salay and Fought followed that up with her third home run of the season to put Northern up 12-4 and end the game.

Courtney Cash (8-3) earned the complete-game victory. She also was 4-for-7 with four RBI in the two games.

In Game 2, Northern scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth and added two more in the sixth to turn a slim 3-1 lead into a 9-1 victory.

With Goltry on second base and two out in the bottom of the sixth, Liz Decima and Cash had back-to-back doubles to end the game.

Decima was 4-for-7 with three RBI and four runs scored on the day to improve her team-leading batting average to an impressive .554 (41-of-74).

Stephanie Inkrott (8-3) scattered four hits to earn the complete game victory for ONU.

Danielle Goubeaux also had an outstanding day for the Polar Bears, going 4-for-6 with a double, one RBI and a run scored.

In all, the top five batters in the Ohio Northern lineup were a combined 22-of-38 for a .611 batting average in the two games.

Ohio Northern will return to Ohio Athletic Conference action Wednesday against Otterbein at 3:30 pm at the ONU Softball Field.